George Monbiot stirs debate over fate of tar sands

George Monbiot wants the Alberta tar-sands industry shut down “as quickly as possible”. The best-selling author, Guardian columnist, and environmentalist told the Georgia Straight he would like to see “large-scale direct actions” to make that happen. When Monbiot granted the Straight an interview in late August, in a small restaurant in the Welsh town of Maccynleth, where he resides, an election had not yet been called. Canadians are now officially headed to the polls on October 14, and Monbiot—who penned the 2006 book Heat, to high acclaim—said Canada must step up on the environmental front. “There is a huge gulf, it seems, in Canada between people’s awareness and their determination to do something to protect the environment and the actual results of Canadian policy,” Monbiot said on August 21. “That gap has to be closed,... [read full story]