James Cameron and the Oil Sands

I thought that James Cameron probably came to see the oil sands with his mind made up. After all, the movie AVATAR certainly had a strong environmental position. Now, I see this trip as an excellent example of people with divergent ideologies coming together to show why they feel and believe as they do. The economic benefit of the oil sands is obvious. The livihoods of many depend on it. Taking oil from Canada and shipping it to the US is obviously far more secure and expends less for transportation. There are two strong sides to this story.

After spending three days meeting industry leaders, politicians and people living downstream, the moviemaker called for a slowdown on oilsands development. Cameron also believes independent experts should be brought in to monitor their environmental impact. Executive Director of Sierra Club Canada, John Bennett, saya Cameron managed to do something he hasn't been able to do in 12 years: get the ear of the Alberta government.Bennett says Cameron's concerns are the same ones his organization and other environmental groups have been raising for years.

He says when you have enough oil to last 300 years, there's no reason why production should be doubling every decade.Bennett believes Cameron will continue monitoring and speaking out about what's happening in the oilsands, adding his visit will lead to increased global scrutiny of the tar sands.Cameron says one short-term solution would be to bank the approval of future tailings ponds until new technology can be developed to remove the toxic pits.The man behind such blockbusters as Titanic and Avatar says Alberta's oilsands are a gift but could end up a curse, if not managed properly.