Tar Sands Exploration Station

Turn down the heat: climate extremes, regional impacts, and the case for resilience - full report (English)

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:21:05 -0400

Turn down the heat: climate extremes, regional impacts, and the case for resilience - full report (English):

The World Bank is totally turning up the heat with this article on the regional implications of climate change.

Encana names BP Gulf spill veteran as its new CEO

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:42:22 -0400

Encana names BP Gulf spill veteran as its new CEO:

read the coverage of this hire carefully. interesting use of passively positive language.

A hint about the upcoming adventures of the TSES AND a great...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:20:29 -0400

A hint about the upcoming adventures of the TSES AND a great song.

The Argument Against Oil Drilling in Arctic Seas

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:07:46 -0400

The Argument Against Oil Drilling in Arctic Seas

Crude Oil News from Bloomberg

Mon, 27 May 2013 21:48:00 -0400

Crude Oil News from Bloomberg

Other Investigations: Allison Rowe

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Other Investigations: Allison Rowe:

Check out this great post about TSES artist Allison Rowe on the Make Space blog

Previously featured on Make Space, the Toronto-based artist talks about her practice and work, along with her experience at ACRE Residency.

This pie is going to be hard to cut…

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:36:03 -0400

This pie is going to be hard to cut…

Open Engagement | Art + Social Practice

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:09:15 -0400

Open Engagement | Art + Social Practice:

If you are in Portland from May 17 - 19 ome join TSES artist Allison Rowe at this great conference about art and social engagement.

400 PPM: Are we even going to try to deal with this?

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

On May 9 it was announced that the Carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere has passed the 400 parts per million (ppm) mark. The last time our planetary atmosphere was this carbonic, the world was a radically different place absent of arctic sea ice, covered in massive deserts with sea levels 40 meters higher than they are today. There were even camels in the Arctic. When I imagine this time I picture a mash-up of tank girl’s sand shower, at the edge of a monsoon, inside an oven wrapped in hangover dry mouth.

For us at the TSES 400 ppm is a loaded number. Unlike a high test mark, this elevated number indicates that the citizens of the planet have not responded to the ever frantic calls of the science community to get our shit together and lower our carbon emissions. In 1992, we were at 350 ppm and in 2005 when the Kyoto Protocol came into effect we were already up to somewhere around 380 ppm. Things are getting worse, not better and the catastrophic weather events this kind of C02 causes have arguably already begun.

Though we at the TSES are highly disturbed by this ever elevating number, what is perhaps more upsetting is the fact that it seems although we are simply giving up.

TSES hanging out at our pal Frank Lloyd Wright’s place in...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:18:24 -0400

TSES hanging out at our pal Frank Lloyd Wright’s place in Chicago

Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Oil Sands Information Portal

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:43:56 -0400

Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Oil Sands Information Portal:

The Oil Sands Information Portal is a searchable data repository, providing maps, reports, graphs, tables and downloads of current and historical trends and details.

What BP Doesn't Want You to Know About the 2010 Gulf Spill

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:08:55 -0400

What BP Doesn't Want You to Know About the 2010 Gulf Spill:

The 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was even worse than BP wanted us to know.

Oil Spill Spotlights Keystone XL Issue: Is Canadian Crude Worse?

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:07:40 -0400

Oil Spill Spotlights Keystone XL Issue: Is Canadian Crude Worse?:

Photograph by Jacob Slaton, Reuters

Badass at first glance but raises larger questions about bioengineering

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:24:12 -0400

Badass at first glance but raises larger questions about bioengineering

Life After Oil and Gas?

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:50:00 -0400

Life After Oil and Gas?:

Interesting article from the NY Times about a future without oil and gas.

Onsite Review: Oil

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:28:19 -0400

Onsite Review: Oil:

not the greatest format but there are a lot of interesting strategic propositions about the future of Canadian oil

Rupert Murdoch, of no realtion to Rupert the bear, confounds with his recent tweet on Keystone XL

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:52:13 -0400

We at the TSES have been heartened by the recent surge in conversation about fossil fuels and their future in the United States. Due largely to looming deadlines, activists and advocates alike have been entrenched in public battles over fracking and the proposed Keystone Pipeline expansion. The rhetoric of this debate has become a kind of “he said she said” about environmental impacts, the economy, jobs and sustainability. One side will volley scientific statistics and the other retorts with wage information and job creation stats. Scary as it is to some, these aren’t battles that we are willing to call yet.

Many were surprised on February 15 when Rupert Murdoch, infamous conservative and media mogul, tweeted the brain teaser below.

Rupert Murdoch ‏@rupertmurdoch

“Is Keystone Pipeline really good idea? Bringing lots of heavy, dirty oil across country, when fracked , cheaper, cleaner energy available”

Four minutes later, after a rush of perplexed liberals chimed in, he went on to say,

“Keystone Pipeline not needed for energy independence. Many opinions, let’s discuss. And let’s stop wasting money on ridiculous windmills.”

The twitter-sphere erupted into a blur of 140 character proclamations of confusion, mockery and support. What really sets this tweet apart from so many like it, is that Murdoch actually purports fracking as a more environmentally friendly alternative to the import of tar sand from Canada. While most would agree that there are perilous and potentially catastrophic environmental outcomes to both methods of acquiring oil, it is (currently) completely scientifically unfounded to compare the two. At this early stage of oil sands steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) mining, the true costs to the natural environment are not yet know. The same is true of the technologically similar system of fracking, which also requires the injection of chemicals into the earth in order to remove bitumen products. It is in fact most likely that the impacts of fracking and SAGD mining will vary on a case by case basis and much of their long-term effects will not be known for years to come.

So, the real question is what was Rupert Murdoch thinking. Unlike everyone’s childhood chum Rupert the Bear, Rupert Murdoch is not is search of adventure and friendship. He is a business man, and despite his phone tapping woes, a lot of you might even claim that his empire and profits are proof of his success in the field. Let’s interpret this tweet as a sign that Murdoch might be moving away from the Fox and the phones and immersing himself into the much more ethically relaxed arena of big oil.

Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono and Artists Against Fracking Present:...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:11:00 -0400

Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono and Artists Against Fracking Present: “Don’t Frack My Mother:

Things never overheard in Fort McMurray

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 14:42:00 -0400

Things never overheard in Fort McMurray

canada-web: A worker operating a coiled tubing rig. More...

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 14:36:52 -0400

canada-web:

A worker operating a coiled tubing rig. More photos like this one here: http://www.photography.canadaweb.net/Industry

Tar Sands Exploration Station

Turn down the heat: climate extremes, regional impacts, and the case for resilience - full report (English)

Encana names BP Gulf spill veteran as its new CEO

A hint about the upcoming adventures of the TSES AND a great...

The Argument Against Oil Drilling in Arctic Seas

Crude Oil News from Bloomberg

Other Investigations: Allison Rowe

This pie is going to be hard to cut…

Open Engagement | Art + Social Practice

400 PPM: Are we even going to try to deal with this?

TSES hanging out at our pal Frank Lloyd Wright’s place in...

Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Oil Sands Information Portal

What BP Doesn't Want You to Know About the 2010 Gulf Spill

Oil Spill Spotlights Keystone XL Issue: Is Canadian Crude Worse?

Badass at first glance but raises larger questions about bioengineering

Life After Oil and Gas?

Onsite Review: Oil

Rupert Murdoch, of no realtion to Rupert the bear, confounds with his recent tweet on Keystone XL

Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono and Artists Against Fracking Present:...

Things never overheard in Fort McMurray

canada-web: A worker operating a coiled tubing rig. More...

What BP Doesn't Want You to Know About the 2010 Gulf Spill