What You're Saying: Balancing the environment and the economy
Striking a balance between the environment and the economy is a complex undertaking, but many of the Canadians who participated in canadasoilsands.com indicated that they believe it is possible.
“Yes, we can [find balance], but we are definitely a long way off. We need governments, industry and citizens to all get serious about making steps towards this and to think about the long term, not just a quick fix.” (June 24, 2008)
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“My income depends on this industry; however, I am very concerned with the apparent breakneck speed of development and the long term impacts.” (June 27, 2008)
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“The legislation has to be re-written so that companies are not bound by law to maximize profits for shareholders. We all have a stake in this. We need to evolve a “triple bottom line”: environment, economy and social justice. I believe we can balance the environment and economy, but it will take tearing down the very foundations that support the current system.” (June 30, 2008)
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“We need a new perception of economy, one that sees alternatives to limitless growth and centralized control, one that seeks shared oversight of finite and communal resources.”
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Canadians were very clear that balance can’t be achieved unless more weight is given to environmental concerns.
“I work as a process operator in the oilsands and my family lives here in Fort McMurray. I am keenly interested in ensuring that the operation I work for has the foresight to work as hard at protecting the environment, and reclamation, as it does in maximizing the energy we extract.” (June 26, 2008)
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“We must never forget that the human economy is merely a part of the environment, not a separate entity existing outside the environment. Therefore, the idea of balancing the environment and the economy is absurd, and should no longer be part of the discussion. A more legitimate question is this: how can we ensure that the human economy is ecologically sustainable?” (June 24, 2008)
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“…we have an opportunity to become world leaders in environmental sustainability. The money is here. The expertise is here. We need to remember that we need a healthy and self-sustaining environment in order to have a healthy and sustainable economy.” (June 24, 2008)
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A few don’t believe balance is possible, and call for a complete end to oil sands development.
“My belief is that the oil sands simply cannot be developed in an ecologically sustainable manner, and therefore they shouldn’t be developed at all.” (June 24, 2008)
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“…you are only concerned with profits – environmental, social and cultural issues are non-existent to your organizations.” (June 25, 2008)
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“The oil sands are just plain gross. They are destroying our pristine forests and are driving global warming. NO MORE OIL SANDS!” (June 27, 2008)
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Others suggest that balance can be achieved by looking to the future – investing to find innovative, environmentally-sensitive ways to develop the oil sands.
“Oil companies should implement latest technologies and methodologies to solve the existing issues and protect the environment from the existing and future pollution.” (June 27, 2008)
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“Canada has a heritage of being innovative in many fields…are the oil sands producers funding research at Canadian universities…?” (June 26, 2008)
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“…now is the time where we could take…extra assets and put it towards an increase in environmental studies/solutions.” (June 26, 2008)
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