Reading through any national Canadian news source lately and scrolling through social media, the topic of discussion tends to be on Neil Young and his comments regarding the Alberta oilsands.
Young has likened the area surrounding Fort McMurray to that of Hiroshima, one of the locations where an atomic bomb was dropped during World War II.
Though the type of mining being done there is very land intensive, it's notable that after this statement was made many people from Fort Mac and the surrounding area took to Twitter. Here they tweeted photos of wildlife and scenery showcasing their environment in a completely different light than what was referred to by Young.
Now fossil fuels have been linked to greenhouse gases, which have in turn been associated with climate change. So, yes the oilsands are linked to climate change and the intensive mining is hard on the land; but, I find it strange that although Young makes these comparisons he then contradicts himself by travelling in a monstrosity of a motorhome.
Apparently he let five motorhomes run outside during a news conference despite them being almost empty. However, I suppose this is Canada in winter, so he had to make sure the vehicles stayed warm; a common problem many Canadians face in winter, letting their vehicles warm up in the cold weather.
I understand that musicians need to transport their equipment and need to have a place to sleep while on the road, but if he was as committed to his cause wouldn't he be looking for alternate transportation?
In Young's defence they were running on bio-diesel which does mean there was less CO2 being released into the atmosphere, but that actually brings about the question of why he isn't encouraging more people to purchase vehicles that run on biodiesel?
He seems to blame the oil industry and government, when really the oil industry makes its wealth from demand. It's not really the oil industry's fault that they are expanding and succeeding, it's the demand and lack of a viable, easily obtainable alternative energy. Where does one get biodiesel anyway?
But, this wasn't really what Young had intended the focused discussion to be on I don't think. The name of his tour was Honour the Treaties which was aimed at raising money to help aid a Northern Alberta First Nations group in fighting to prevent oilsands development in their territory, while bringing about the discussion of aboriginal rights in general across Canada. The oilsands and the environment somehow took the focus, while treaty rights were left at the way side.
Somehow things got blown out of proportion when it comes down to it. Young was apparently just raising money for the legal defence of the Chippewa Nation, but as he spoke and toured it became focused on the oilsands and people became highly offended over his reference of Fort Mac being a lot like Hiroshima.
However, it does seem true that the Government of Canada as headed by Prime Minister Harper has been stumbling around when it comes to the rights of First Nations and concerns for the environment.
Last year saw the Idle No More movement sweep Canada when Bill C-45 ultimately weakened environmental protection laws. People are rallying behind Neil Young in relation to the oilsands this year. Many are also concerned currently about cutbacks to research which has been alarming scientists across Canada as the federal government has dismissed over 2,000 scientists in the past five years CBC has reported.
Now I know I personally am a little on the fence when it comes to climate change and the degree to which it is being accelerated through anthropogenic means; but, there does come a time when our natural land becomes more important than a dollar and precautionary measures need to be taken to ensure our vast array of diverse landscapes in Canada are maintained.
Environmental conscientiousness does need to come before economic wealth sometimes even in a world where dollar seems to be king. Maintaining our landscape is important because where else in the world can you find the beauty of Canada? Our country is unique and ensuring it remains as such is important, though maintaining economics that allows the country to function is necessary puts pressure on a balance that needs to be struck, one that many are currently worried about from different angles.
