122 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
122 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
# Environmental Freedom
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!!! quote "Oil Patch Wisdom"
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"The environment will be fine! Now excuse us while we drink this totally normal looking tap water."
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[Call Grant Hunter, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas](tel:7804272391){ .md-button }
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[Email Minister of Environment](https://influence.freealberta.org/campaign/environment-protection){ .md-button }
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[Call Brian Jean, Minister of Energy and Minerals](tel:7804273740){ .md-button }
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[Email Minister of Energy](https://influence.freealberta.org/campaign/clean-energy){ .md-button }
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## Why Should Our Environment Be Free?
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Because breathing shouldn't be a premium service, and clean water shouldn't be something we have to buy at Costco. Revolutionary concept: maybe not poisoning our backyard is actually good for all of us?
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### Our Current "Freedom" System
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!!! example "The Alberta Environmental Experience"
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1. We check our air quality index
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2. We pretend that orange sky is normal
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3. We buy bottled water
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4. We ignore those weird smells
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5. We say "at least we have jobs"
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6. We repeat until 6 feet under
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## What Real Environmental Freedom Looks Like
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- Clean air (and not just on good wind days)
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- Safe drinking water (straight from our taps!)
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- Unpolluted soil (wild concept, we know)
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- Protected wilderness (for more than just oil exploration)
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- Renewable energy (because the sun is actually free)
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### But What About Our Economy?!
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!!! info "Plot Twist"
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Here's a shocking revelation: clean energy jobs don't require environmental sacrifice. Plus, bonus: our grandkids might actually have a planet to live on.
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## The Economic Freedom Argument
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When we protect our environment:
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- Our healthcare costs drop (breathing clean air helps, who knew?)
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- Our tourism increases (people like mountains without smokestacks)
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- Our property values stay stable (clean soil is worth more than contaminated soil)
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- Our new industries emerge (solar panels don't install themselves)
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### What We're Missing
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- Renewable energy infrastructure
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- Public transportation that works
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- Green spaces in our cities
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- Water protection policies
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- Air quality standards with actual teeth
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!!! tip "Pro Freedom Tip"
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If we think environmental protection kills jobs, let's consider the job-killing effects of uninhabitable planets.
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## The Bottom Line
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Environmental freedom means having the right to clean air, water, and soil without having to fight corporations for it. It means understanding that a healthy environment is actually good for our business (and, you know, staying alive).
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!!! warning "Reality Check"
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Our freedom to choose between different brands of bottled water isn't actually freedom - it's just expensive submission to environmental degradation.
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Ready to breathe easier in a freer Alberta? Let's share this with our neighbors - especially the ones who think climate change is just spicy weather.
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---
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## Sources & Evidence
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### Air Quality Crisis
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- In 2023, Alberta recorded **2,125 air quality exceedances** compared to just **194 in 2022**
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- Wildfire smoke significantly impacted air quality across the province
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- Industrial emissions continue to affect air quality in the Industrial Heartland
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- Oil sands operations are a major source of particulate matter and other pollutants
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- Source: [Alberta Environment Air Quality Data](https://www.alberta.ca/air-quality-health-index.aspx)
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- Source: [Pembina Institute - Air Quality Research](https://www.pembina.org/)
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### Tailings Ponds
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- Oil sands companies hold **$1.5 trillion in toxic tailings** in ponds covering over 220 square kilometers
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- The **Kearl mine spill** (2023) released contaminated water into the Athabasca River watershed
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- Tailings pond liability far exceeds company cleanup bonds
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- No tailings pond has ever been successfully reclaimed to a natural state
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- Source: [Alberta Energy Regulator](https://www.aer.ca/)
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- Source: [Environmental Defence](https://environmentaldefence.ca/)
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### Water Contamination
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- Downstream communities (including Fort Chipewyan) report health concerns linked to oil sands operations
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- Fish populations in the Athabasca watershed have shown abnormalities
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- Groundwater contamination risks from tailings pond seepage
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- Source: [Keepers of the Athabasca](https://www.keepersofthewater.ca/)
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### Renewable Energy Blocked
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- A **7-month renewable energy moratorium** (August 2023 - February 2024) halted 118 projects
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- **24,000 jobs** were stalled during the moratorium
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- Since the freeze lifted, **11 gigawatts** of renewable projects have been cancelled
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- New restrictions could rule out **40% of the province** for renewable development
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- Alberta was responsible for **86%** of Canada's new wind and solar capacity (2020-2024) before the moratorium
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- Source: [Canadian Renewable Energy Association](https://renewablesassociation.ca/)
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- Source: [CBC News - Alberta renewable moratorium](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-renewable-energy-moratorium-1.7089234)
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### Climate Change Impacts
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- Alberta is experiencing more frequent and severe wildfires
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- Glaciers in the Rockies are retreating, threatening water supplies
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- Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity
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- Agricultural regions face drought and flooding risks
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- Source: [University of Alberta - Climate Research](https://www.ualberta.ca/)
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- Source: [Prairie Climate Centre](https://prairieclimatecentre.ca/)
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### Orphan Wells
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- Alberta has **over 10,000 orphan wells** requiring cleanup
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- Cleanup costs are downloaded to taxpayers when companies go bankrupt
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- Orphan Well Association receives government funding to address private sector failures
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- Source: [Orphan Well Association](https://www.orphanwell.ca/)
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