The 99% who don’t benefit from the Tar Sands

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Everybody's talking about the 99% these days. They take issue with banks, corporations, inequality, and, I'm sure the destructive mess that is the tar sands is on their list. Afterall, is there any other industry in the country that benefits such a small percentage of the population while doing extensive damage to the health and economic well being of the rest more than the tar sands?

The most common defence of the tar sands I hear is that they are just the best thing for the Canadian economy since sliced bread and maple syrup. While some tar sands defenders will boast about the “ethical” nature of Alberta’s bitumen, when pressed their argument is always cemented in the commonly held misconception that the tar sands are good for the economy. They are not. In fact increasing tar sands developments put the future of our economy at risk and certainly nobody in the 99 per cent stands to benefit from that.

For those in the occupation movement, a funny protest sign seems to be a must. Some notables so far include: “I thought there would be cake” or “Everything is fine, go back to shopping”. Similar protests signs for those concerned about increasing tar sands developments might read “Hey 1-percenters, have you seen my manufacturing job? It seems to have vanished” or “Does Anybody Have change for a Petro-Loonie?” (Get it? We have a petro-dollar but we want that to change? Anyone? Is this thing on?)

The tar sands have turned Canada into a petro-state, where our economy is very tightly bound to our ability to export oil. This damages jobs in other sectors, most notably manufacturing. Much of the rest of the world is attempting to transition away from fossil fuels, both because they are a non-renewable resource and because of concerns over climate change. With that in mind, is it not an incredibly risky position to have all our economic eggs in the fossil fuel basket? Any investor will tell you that the safest investors have a well diversified portfolio, otherwise you are far too vulnerable to changes in the marketplace. Perhaps some of those folks on Toronto’s Bay Street could explain that to our federal government.

Other signs could read something along the lines of  “Climate Change will Cost Us Billions” or “We Can’t Afford the Costs of Your Emissions” to sum up another of the many reasons why increased tar sands developments are a dangerous economic undertaking: Climate Change is Expensive. The National Round Table on the Environment and Economy issued a report last month that Climate Change could cost Canada as much as 5 billion dollars a year by 2020 and balloon up to 43 billion dollars a year by 2050. While they are certainly not the only source of GHG emissions in the country the tar sands are Canada’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gas pollution, so a good chunk of that tab is on them.   
Not that the economy is the only reason why we should make all efforts to combat climate change. The health of the planet and its ability to sustain current and future generations might just take precedence in that regard.

And of course there are the impacts on human health and our healthcare system resulting from tar sands operations. Whether we are talking about all the  naphthenic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolic compounds, ammonia, mercury and other trace metals that seep out of tar sands tailing ponds daily, or all the air pollutants that impact human health directly or contribute to acid rain, or the concern over potentially increasing cancer rates in the area, the tar sands are having a direct impact on human health in the area. While it might be possible to map out a general calculation of how much of a drain this becomes to our healthcare system, it is impossible to put a dollar value on anyone’s health.

Taking into consideration the risky move of having an economy so heavily tied to a non renewable resource, the economic burden that climate change will have on us, and the strain the tar sands may be putting on our health care system, it seems like the tar sands are a short-sighted and poor economic strategy for Canada. While some make heavy profits from tar sands developments many more (perhaps as much as 99% of us) will be left paying the bill both now and in the future.