Norway's elders speak out against the extraction of oil from Canada's tar sands
On Wednesday, April 6th, the Edmonton Journal – Alberta, Canada’s largest daily newspaper – will print a letter from the Norwegian Grandparents Climate Action (Besteforeldreaksjonen) to the citizens of Canada.
In the letter, the Norwegian elders condemn the ongoing tar sands extraction, recognizing its devastating effect on wildlife and impact on climate change. The group states that , Statoil, Norway’s 67 % state-owned oil company, was part of the problem and that their country’s environmental movement had instructed its Parliament and government to have the oil company withdraw from further tar sand exploration.
Tar sands - before and after
The letter / advertisement will coincide with the opening day of the first court session of the environmental case between Statoil and the state of Alberta. How remarkable this is – not only that the group of 2,000 elders would speak out but that they would garner so much support as to potentially force an oil company to stop its oil extraction.
It makes you wonder what it would take to create that kind of impact in the face of oil companies intent to drill in the Arctic.
You can read the full advertisement by clicking on “English version” half-way down the page on the right.
Filed under: Exciting New Developments Tagged: | Canada, climate change, Edmonton Journal, environmental, Norwegian grandparents, oil, tar sands, wildlife
