Welcome to the Pembina Institute’s new blog about the environmental impacts of oilsands development. As the Oilsands Program Director here at Pembina, I manage the institute's oilsands research. Our publications help inform the oilsands debate and the changes we need.
Canada’s oilsands continue to be at the forefront of both national and international headlines. In the past decade we have seen a big change in both public awareness and growing concern about the mismanagement of Canada’s oilsands. Sadly, despite all the negative attention that the oilsands are receiving, the response from industry and from the federal and Alberta governments has largely been to downplay environmental impacts and the major gaps in environmental management in the oilsands that remain unaddressed.
The Pembina Institute remains committed to responsible oilsands development — that is, development that addresses the need to make deep reductions in greenhouse gas pollution globally, meets regional environmental limits, respects the rights of aboriginal peoples and optimizes benefits while minimizing negative impacts to local communities, Albertans and Canadians. Until these missing pieces are addressed, we believe the focus on further expansion of the oilsands is irresponsible and is both contributing to the increasing conflict and damaging Canada’s international reputation.
The addition of an oilsands blog is just one of our recent improvements to the website. In Clearing the Air on Oilsands Myths we try and shine a light on some of the more misleading statements that are perpetuated by industry and government to deflect attention from the challenges posed by (and often viable solutions to) oilsands development.
Thanks for taking the time to visit our site. I welcome your comments and perspective on any aspect of our work or other questions related to oilsands development.
Simon Dyer is the deputy executive director of the Pembina Institute. He is based in Edmonton.
