Erik Guerra

Social Movements

MW 3:30- 4:45 P.M.

March 16, 2014

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/14/utahs_carbon_bomb_state_plots_massive

This video explains the issue of how much carbon has been released in our atmosphere. Utah has planned a project involving tar sands and oil shale despite climate concerns. Utah plans to extract tar sands and oil shale from public and private land. It is said that the region could hold up to three trillion barrels of oil. It is said that Utah is sitting on a tar sands carbon bomb. The grand canyon trust is one of the several organizations fighting Utah's plan. Utah has big deposits of oil shale and tar sands. This could amount to twenty billion barrels of oil and trillions worth of possibly development of oil. The tar sands in Alberta are being developed. Utah wants to do this as well. This can cause major climate problems. The shale oil will be extracted by strip mining. The grand canyon trust is attempting to challenge the public land that is expected to be stripped. I had bot heard of this being done in Alberta. Now that I know this is going on in U.S. Land is frightening.

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/14/a_slow_genocide_of_the_people

Uranium mining six miles from the grand canyon is causing devastating issues. Natives have protested against this saying that this can strain scarce water sources in the desert area. Also that uranium mining causes serious health affects. Companies in the past never properly disposed of radioactive waste piles leading to a spike in cancer rates and other illness. Environmental contamination has caused many serious issues. There are teachings by groups to support a nation wide effort to clean up uranium mines. A Navajo activist explains how an abandon uranium mine looks. It is said to look like a dirt hill. A radioactive contamination of dirt looks like regular dirt. Basically this is an invisible threat. Around this contaminated hill were houses and toys, sings of children and humans. Over one thousand abandon mines look and seem to be natural landscape. These issues must be addressed and not over looked just because larger corporations want to make money.