Tarmageddon

"Tarmageddon" by Andrew Nikiforuk is an essay focused on bringing to attention the negative effects that the Canadian tar sands are having on our country, the environment, and our international relations. Nikiforuk uses vivid imagery to get across his point, such as describing the 1.4 billion hectares of industrialized forest by the tar sands as the size of 40 Denvers or 17 Berlins. In analysis, readers are left feeling both genuinely disgusted with the Canadian government and the tar sands. Although this essay is very effective in portraying the negative outcomes of the tar sands, it does not leave readers with any direction to how they, as civilians, can help end this operation.

Discussion Question: What can Canadians do to help minimize the negative effects of the tar sands? Is there a reasonable alternative to using the tar sands?