Leonardo DiCaprio Ice Bucket Challenge: Calls out Canadian PM Harper, Shell CEO on Tar Sands

[unhappycamper]

http://www.juancole.com/2014/09/dicaprio-challenge-canadian.html

Leonardo DiCaprio Ice Bucket Challenge: Calls out Canadian PM Harper, Shell CEO on Tar Sands
By contributors | Sep. 3, 2014

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge this week and used the opportunity to not just raise awareness for ALS, but to also highlight the dangers of developing the Canadian tar sands in northern Alberta. Standing with Chief Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Chief Courtoreille of the Mikisew Cree First Nation and Sierra President Michael Brune, DiCaprio lead the group in challenging the biggest proponents of tar sands development in Canada. The four directly challenged Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the President of Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Dave Collyer, Mark Little of Suncor Canada and Shell CEO Ben van Beurden.

(For more on the meaning of tar sands for global warming, see The Guardian, which notes, "Making liquid fuels from bitumen requires energy for steam injection and refining. Currently the energy is produced from natural gas. This process generates more greenhouse gas emissions per barrel of final product than the production of conventional oil... if we ... evaluate well-to-tank emissions, tar sands emissions are approximately twice those of conventional oil. According to a recent US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assessment, tar sands well-to-tank emissions are approximately 82% higher than conventional oil.&quot