What does environmental devastation actually look like?  At TEDxVictoria, photographer Garth Lenz shares shocking photos of the Alberta Tar Sands mining project -- and the beautiful (and vital) ecosystems under threat.

The true cost of oil

Canada’s vast boreal forest, home to immense biodiversity and indigenous cultures, is under extreme threat from Alberta’s tar sands extraction. Massive open-pit mines and toxic tailings ponds now scar an ecosystem that stores twice as much carbon per acre as tropical rainforests. The mining not only emits more greenhouse gases than any other oil process but also poisons water and food supplies for local communities. This transformation is turning one of the world’s most important carbon sinks into a source of pollution and global risk.

Canada’s Boreal Forest Faces Destruction From Tar Sands Expansion

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Garth Lenz: The true cost of oil