 Once a distant pipe dream, the Alberta tar sands have become a startling reality. This mega project covers large areas of boreal forest in Northern Alberta, requiring giant machines to separate the sands from their most valuable component, oil. As the industry has boomed with the rising price of oil, so too have local communities, which are filling with migrants from all over Canada and the world. The tar sands raise many questions for those concerned about justice, peace and sustainability. While this industry has created jobs, energy and growth, it has also fueled inequality, pollution and ecological destruction. Instead of seeing the tar sands through the narrow lens of energy, economics and employment, Kairos is connecting the drops to include the people involved and impacted by this development. Understanding the tar sands demands a big picture perspective, one that sees the links between our lives, our economy and our environment. To learn more about the tar sands and their impacts on people and the earth, Kairos sent an ecumenical delegation to Alberta from May 21st, 27th, 2009. That we as citizens and we as members of Christian churches have the opportunity to make right decisions that will bless the earth. It was even more complicated than I had imagined beforehand. Every group that we spoke with, environmental groups, local community people, for example in Fort McMurray, Aboriginal groups, government, industry, they all had slightly different perspectives even when they quoted exactly the same facts. It's certainly not a simple problem and it's certainly not going to have simple solutions. They appreciated the fact that we didn't just come here or go there wagging our finger at them. We came to listen and to learn and to see how we were involved. Our group is here to listen, to listen to your concerns, to listen to how life may have changed or have changed drastically after the industry of tar sands came in. Our goal is to work hard as a team, this delegation, throughout the journey to listen, to share our concerns and in the end to see if we can build common ground for an ecumenical witness to what we learned about the tar sands development. 173 billion barrels of oil in tar sands are recoverable with today's technology. Only Saudi Arabia has more oil reserves. Oil sands operations cover 140,000 square kilometers or an area the size of Florida. There are currently 91 active oil sands projects in Alberta. Per barrel of oil, 4 tons of material is mined and 4.5 barrels of water are required to extract the bitumen. The tar sands generated 4% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions in 2006. This percentage is predicted to rise to 12% by 2020. Extracting oil from the tar sands consumes 10 to 30% more energy than conventional oil sources. The extraction process produces 200 million liters of tailings or wastewater after recycling. This is enough to fill 82 Olympic swimming pools. 1.2 million tons of sulfur is produced as a byproduct. In 2015, this is predicted to rise to 4.1 million tons. In 2030, 10 to 12 million tons. 51 cancers occurred in the indigenous community of Fort Chippewan between 1995 and 2006. Statistically, only 39 cases were expected. First Nations communities have launched a total of three lawsuits against the government for inadequate consultation and treaty rights violations. One in 13 Alberta jobs is related to energy. 15,836 temporary foreign workers were in Alberta in 2005. This rose to 37,257 in two years by December 2007. 18,000 tar sands workers currently live in work camps. The average family in Fort McMurray earns $135,000 per year. The average single family home costs $621,003. In 2001, the population of Fort McMurray was 42,085. By 2007, it had risen to 65,400. 71% of Albertans agree that no new approvals should be granted in the tar sands until environmental concerns are addressed. Zero environmental impact assessments have been done of potential oil sands projects. 0.2% of land disturbed by mining has been reclaimed. Zero tailings ponds have been reclaimed, though the process has begun on one. Our cities and societies are often isolated from the natural world, and so we forget our spiritual connection to nature as a part of God's creation. As life becomes faster and easier, we see nature as an unnecessary luxury, useless and less exploited. God has blessed us with natural resources that all humanity might use them sustainably. Instead, we have parceled these out for ownership and development by select groups. What are human beings for? How are we to relate to the earth and our place within the body of creation? We've got to get rid of the mentality that human beings are the pinnacle of creation. We are the same. We are part of all living things in the earth, and therefore the spiritual question is what right do we have to exploit the earth so dramatically without questioning why we are doing it, and we should not be doing it just to feed a pathological addictive consumerism. The impact of flying over the oil sands and watching and seeing these giant, giant machines in operation and knowing that they run 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, they never stop, those belts never stop moving, and in such giant proportions, that's very dazzling. And at the same time, it's a bit frightening to see how we are so aggressively minding the earth. The impact of the tar sands extends beyond expectations, reaching across borders and between families. The tar sands have a destabilizing social impact for countless workers, their families, and surrounding communities. Worker migration from Canada's east coast divides families for months at a time. Workers from other countries are also arriving through temporary foreign worker programs, which do little to protect these migrants from exploitation. Employees work long, hard hours in often isolated conditions. Municipalities such as Fort McMurray have also felt the strain. Health services, schools, and other infrastructure lack funding and are unable to keep pace with the increasing population. The tar sands' most visible and lasting impact is environmental. Hundreds of square kilometers of boreal forest have been destroyed, and attempts at reclaiming used land have, to date, created non-indigenous, biologically uniform spaces. Huge amounts of water are required to refine the sands, threatening to reduce the volume of the Athabasca River. The refining process creates waste, much of which is stored in man-made tailings ponds. The water quality impact is not well understood, and the risk of contaminants leaking from these ponds into groundwater is significant. Extracting oil from tar sands produces more greenhouse gases than any other form of fossil fuel production, increasing Canadian emissions, at a time when every effort must be made to reduce our carbon consumption. While the tar sands are extremely profitable, this profit does not equally benefit everyone. The rate of growth has placed an economic strain on surrounding communities. As more people migrate to Alberta to find employment, the costs of housing and basic goods have inflated to unaffordable heights. Instead of benefiting low-income residents, much of the profit remains with shareholders and company executives. We also need, in our discussions in our dialogue, to highlight the social and environmental costs of oil production, not just in Alberta, but all over the world, because this cost has not been included in the cost of oil. It makes oil very cheap, but we know oil costs life, it costs the environment, it costs families, stability, and all that. And we must associate this cost, we must calculate this cost, and let people decide for themselves which is cheaper. I was talking with the chief of the Miksukri, and she was saying that on the one hand, the elders are telling her that the development needs to stop, and the emphasis needs to be on the environment and on the spiritual wellness of the people. And on the other hand, there are other members of the community who are saying, and those who are heavily involved in some of the business aspects relating to tar sands development, who are saying no, we need to go ahead because of the economic benefit that this has for our community. So even within a small, somewhat homogenous community, there's diverse and conflicting opinions about which direction to go. With every layer, it gets more and more complicated in terms of figuring out what indeed the truth is, and what's the best way to proceed, not just for the benefit of each individual, but for the benefit of society as a whole. Because if we don't, we have now, there's going to be a tremendous catastrophe that's going to be happening today, it's going to be natural, it's going to be man-made, you know, and we are all going to be affected from it, so we just don't want to see it because when you see the young generation come and dance in here today, you know, what's going to be left for them in the future if we don't fight for them out there? They are people who live with the effects of the tar sands, the job creation that is there, some of the folks who have well-paying jobs in the tar sands operations, to all of the cancer questions that are being raised to the use of their land that is being so deeply affected in terms of wildlife and their spiritual relationship to the land. And these leaders, one of the things that impressed me is that they asked penetrating questions and they talked very gently and passionately about how the tar sands is affecting their communities. They also, of course, raised the question of the common good, and who are the tar sands for? The tar sands involve many people and organizations with the power both to encourage and discourage development. Both the provincial and federal governments have the ability to regulate how, when and where development takes place. The government could respect indigenous territories and set aside land for environmental protection. It could enforce best practices to minimize emissions, waste and water use. It could sponsor research into the environmental and health impacts of the industry, which would provide a better understanding of how to manage development. It could invest in communities to ease the effects of inflation and population growth. And most importantly, the government could influence the direction of future energy projects, investing in renewable energy instead of throwing full governmental support behind a tar sands economy. Global demand for oil also drives the exploitation of the oil sands. Canada exports over two-thirds of tar sands oil, most of which goes to the United States. Canada is the leading provider of oil to the United States, and this export relationship will only grow with current campaigns for secure sources of oil. As the architects of the tar sands, industry bears obvious responsibility. Despite being tied to profits, companies have the ability to improve their practices and working conditions. Industry research into and refinement of technologies to rehabilitate the land, reduce carbon emissions, use less water and better refine and store tailings could result in significant progress in managing the impacts of development. We cannot exclude ourselves from responsibility. Our northern lifestyles depend on an oil-based economy. Some of our daily routines incorporate activities that we don't connect with this dependence, buying fruits and vegetables, taking a shower and traveling to work to name a few. Living a more ecologically conscious life will lower the demand for oil and help us shift to a more sustainable society. People who enjoy the benefits that flow from the lifestyle that the oil sands and other energy policies and realities give to us. All of us are part of the tar sands mentality. We all rely on oil and gas and that means that ethically then we all are involved in seeking solutions without demonizing particular people or particular organizations. We're dealing with a society that is addicted to oil period and that's one larger question that most people don't want to begin addressing. I mean, I find it hard to seriously address on my own because it's so challenging. It's a way we live and the consequences and changes we have to make on a personal level as well as at very different levels of corporate responsibility. One of the things that really impressed me was the extent to which if we can develop the technology and develop big machinery to chew up the earth to get at resources, we will do it. We don't have any sense of perspective or restraint. Just the extent of our appetite to exploit the earth and not asking the question of, what do we need to do it so fast? The development of the tar sands is both a crisis and an opportunity. The pace and scope of development have clearly created social and environmental havoc, while unequally distributing economic benefit. At the same time, the tar sands allow us to examine our dependence on oil through multiple lenses and emerge more conscious of our unsustainable lifestyles. There is no escaping the tar sands. They are in our own backyard. The sooner we transform our concern into action, the sooner we will implement real, hopeful solutions. Change has to come about. The church, from what I've heard, has to be more creative. Practice our spirituality. Practice our spirituality through our children. We have to take our children down to the river. When is the last time we've done that? We all know, either as individuals or as a group or as a society, especially as a society, change is so hard and difficult to do or even contemplate because we embrace too tightly the creature comforts. It doesn't matter how complicated the situation is or the fact that it might be controversial. There is a role for us as individuals and there is certainly a role for us as churches to be involved. We are learning questions, learning as much information as we can from as many different sides and opinions as we can. And I think recognizing that we as individuals are going to have to do something to change our individual way of our addiction to oil, our lifestyle. But it also means that we have to pressure government to take responsibility and leadership in this area. And I think it's doable. In the end, I came away thinking this is not going to be easy unless we start, it's just going to get harder. So it's time to get on and begin the things.