Nobel Peace Laureates Call on Harper to Stop Tar Sands Expansion

OTTAWA - Eight Nobel Peace Laureates today sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling on him to ensure that Canada moves towards a clean energy future—and halts the expansion of the tar sands.

In their letter, the Laureates—which include Archbishop Desmond Tutu (South Africa), Jody Williams (USA), President Ramos Horta (Timor) and Shirin Ebadi (Iran)—argue that it will take strong leadership to make the tough choices required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change.  They note that this is a “profoundly moral decision—one that deserves to be placed alongside any other major struggle in human history”.

The Canadian tar sands have been called a ‘ticking carbon bomb’ by NASA scientist James Hansen, who also says that if they were exploited as projected it would be ‘game over for the climate.’

The letter comes two days after Canadians from across the country gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to risk arrest in an act of non-violent civil disobedience to protest the rapid expansion of the tar sands and Prime Minister Harper’s inaction on climate change. The Laureates recognize the power of peaceful civil disobedience in advancing many of the great moral challenges in human history.

The Laureates told the Prime Minister that Canada is well positioned to be a leader in the fight against climate change, and noted that the Province of Ontario is scheduled to phase out the use of coal by 2014, and has adopted “what is probably the single most effective piece of legislation promoting renewable energy in North America”.

Two weeks ago, the Laureates also wrote to US President Barack Obama, calling upon him to reject the permit for a pipeline that would bring tar sands oil from Alberta through the US to the Gulf of Mexico.   The Natural Resources Defense Council, a prominent US environmental group, recently published the letter as a full-page ad in the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Both letters were coordinated by the Nobel Women’s Initiative, an Ottawa-based organization created by women Nobel Peace Laureates to support women around the world working on climate justice and other issues related to peace and security.
 
For more information:

Rachel Vincent, Nobel Women’s Initiative
T:  (613) 569-8400 x 114   M: (613) 276-9030

September 28, 2011

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada,
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

Three weeks ago we wrote to U.S. President Barack Obama urging him to reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Since the pipeline’s purpose would be to transport oil from the Canadian tar sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast and beyond, we feel that it is also appropriate to communicate directly with you regarding this matter. Just as we called on President Obama to reject the pipeline, we are calling on you to use your power to halt the expansion of the tar sands—and ensure that Canada moves towards a clean energy future.

You have argued that climate change is “perhaps the biggest threat to confront the future of humanity today,” and we strongly support this view.  The burning of coal, oil and natural gas releases greenhouse gases that both raise global temperatures and cause ocean acidification.  The resulting change in the earth’s climate has already increased the frequency of extreme climate events, including floods, droughts, fires and the melting of polar and alpine ice. The devastating impacts on humans include increased violent conflict and instability, as well as famine.  If greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced over the coming years, billions of lives and livelihoods will be irreparably damaged.

We must all work together to confront this urgent global problem. It would be wrong for humanity to choose a path that drives hundreds of thousands of species to extinction. It would be wrong for a rich minority of the world’s inhabitants to create a problem like climate change and then refuse to do its fair share to fix it. And it would be wrong for this generation to make this planet uninhabitable when we know that our children and grandchildren will be forced to deal with the consequences.

But it is not too late. If countries work together to phase-out our dependence on oil, coal and gas, and instead focus on the efficient use of renewable energy and energy conservation, we can turn the tide. Together, we can save hundreds of millions of lives, spare billions of people great hardship, and build more sustainable energy economies.  We must choose to prioritize this path and we must recognize that it is a profoundly moral decision—one that deserves to be placed alongside any other major struggle in human history.

You have a privileged opportunity to help lead Canadians towards a better future.  Canada is a great country and it can rise to the challenge. In fact, there are already powerful signs of progress in the fight against climate change in Canada. The Province of Ontario, for instance, is on course to phase out the use of coal by 2014 and has adopted what is probably the single most effective piece of legislation promoting renewable energy in North America.  This kind of action takes vision and know-how—and shows the strong potential for Canada to be a world leader in tackling climate change.

As you know, further exploitation of the tar sands will dramatically increase the amount of greenhouse gas emissions being produced in North America.  It will also ultimately make turning the clock back on climate change impossible.  But you have a choice.  You can use the powers that you have to halt the expansion of the tar sands and put Canada on course to do its fair share to address climate change.  This decision requires some tough choices, but in the long run—and for the sake of all future citizens who do not have a say in the decisions we make today—it is the right thing to do.

Yours sincerely,

Nobel Peace Laureates

• Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate (1976) – Ireland
• Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate (1976) – Ireland
• Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Laureate (1980) – Argentina
• Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate (1984) – South Africa
• Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Peace Laureate (1992) – Guatemala
• President José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Laureate (1996) – East Timor
• Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate (1997) – USA
• Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Laureate (2003) – Iran