Posted on 02/18/2009 11:39:01 AM PST by Tailgunner Joe
CALGARY - U.S. President Barack Obama says Alberta's oilsands industry "creates a big carbon footprint" that leaves Canada and America facing an environmental dilemma about how to curb greenhouse-gas emissions from energy development. He also says he's eyeing carbon capture and storage as a possible solution.
As the public-relations war between industry and environmental groups heats up over the oilsands - the second-largest oil reserves on the planet next to Saudi Arabia - the massive development in northern Alberta has clearly caught the eye of the 44th U.S. president.
Obama has previously vowed to end America's addiction to "dirty, dwindling and dangerously expensive" oil, and on Tuesday he offered more insight into how he plans to do just that.
On the eve of his Thursday trip to Ottawa for a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Obama said Canada must partner with the U.S. to find ways to cut greenhouse-gas emissions from petroleum extraction if both countries' economies are to grow in the future.
"What we know is that oilsands creates a big carbon footprint. So the dilemma that Canada faces, the United States faces, and China and the entire world faces is, how do we obtain the energy that we need to grow our economies in a way that is not rapidly accelerating climate change?" Obama told CBC News on Tuesday.
"To the extent that Canada and the United States can collaborate on ways that we can sequester carbon, capture greenhouse gases before they're emitted into the atmosphere, that's going to be good for everybody," he added.
"Because if we don't, then we're going to have a ceiling at some point, in terms of our ability to expand our economies and maintain the standard of living that's so important."
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.canada.com ...
"If your premier thinks he's worried about the future -- and he doesn't realize not doing anything about greenhouse gases is going to wreck the economy -- then he doesn't deserve to be a leader," Suzuki said. He was responding to Stelmach's comments Thursday that Alberta's economic growth won't be sacrificed to meet environmental targets of the Kyoto accord.
"Look, you think you need the tarsands to go gung-ho. Albertans have always had the highest standard of living of any province in the country. What the hell do you need all this unlimited expansion, for God's sake? That's crazy," Suzuki told reporters Friday.
"We haven't even begun to apply the brain power to exploit the tarsands the proper way."
Suzuki, invited to accept $835 for his foundation collected by students at Altadore Elementary School, also lashed out at Prime Minister Stephen Harper, saying he doesn't believe "there's a green bone in Harper's body."
I keep hoping I’m going to wake up from this nightmare and find Duncan Hunter as president and say think “Thank God, it was only a dream”.
He is going to bring this country down so that it looks like one of those third world countries.
Oh stop, the Obama nightmare has barely started!
Did they accept TARP money? Does he own them too?
more gloBULLmisinforming.
Says the man who flew Air Force One all the way to Denver to sign a bill created in DC.
We have to do something right now!
CO2 is not a pollutant.
Please, Canada, don’t listen to our village idiot.
What a bastard to think he thinks we are fools.
What the liberal voters have brought upon America is becoming very clear.
0be needs to park AF1&2&3. He could start with Pelosi.
Fortunately for all, the people of Alberta appear to more than able and willing to tell Obama (and anyone else for that matter) to stick it where the sun does not shine.
As a former Canuck, Alberta won’t listen to him.
And don’t take Suzuki’s rantings as science. He’s the algore of Canada. Most of his “science’ are junk science at best..feel good science for the libs. Just because he has a show on CBC took his arrogance to a new level.
I would think Canada would be a country that would benefit greatly from global warming.
By way of a weekend stop in Chicago.
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