For intelligent parsing of the problem of balancing compassion with concerns over burgeoning consequences from emitting heat-trapping greenhouse gases, a couple of extracts:
Elizabeth Kolbert ( http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/fort-mcmurray-and-the-fires-... ):
"it would be wrong to blame the residents of Fort McMurray for the disaster that has befallen them. ... “The reality is we are all consumers of products that come from oil.”
"But to fail to acknowledge the connection is to risk another kind of offense. We are all consumers ... which means that we’ve all contributed to the latest inferno. We need to own up to our responsibility, and then we need to do something about it. The fire next time is one that we’ve been warned about, and that we’ve all had a hand in starting."
"yes, the Alberta fires, and other fires in western Canada and in the northern tier of the US are more frequent and larger than they otherwise would have been because the things that cause fires to get started and spread are worse because of climate change."
"It is only form a position of ... unexamined privilege that one can see the victims of this enormous catastrophe as getting what they deserve."
"It is not a good idea to throw the importance of climate change under the bus because some people are disrespecting the victims of this catastrophe. That doesn’t do anybody any good."
http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/05/06/the-meaning-of-the-fort-mcm...
Elizabeth Kolbert ( http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/fort-mcmurray-and-the-fires-... ):
"it would be wrong to blame the residents of Fort McMurray for the disaster that has befallen them. ... “The reality is we are all consumers of products that come from oil.”
"But to fail to acknowledge the connection is to risk another kind of offense. We are all consumers ... which means that we’ve all contributed to the latest inferno. We need to own up to our responsibility, and then we need to do something about it. The fire next time is one that we’ve been warned about, and that we’ve all had a hand in starting."
"yes, the Alberta fires, and other fires in western Canada and in the northern tier of the US are more frequent and larger than they otherwise would have been because the things that cause fires to get started and spread are worse because of climate change."
"It is only form a position of ... unexamined privilege that one can see the victims of this enormous catastrophe as getting what they deserve."
"It is not a good idea to throw the importance of climate change under the bus because some people are disrespecting the victims of this catastrophe. That doesn’t do anybody any good."
http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/05/06/the-meaning-of-the-fort-mcm...
1
News reports say that 80 percent of the town of Fort MacMurray was untouched by the fire, so it's not nearly as bad as has been reported by various sources. They say the water supply is contaminated and isn't suitable for drinking, and there are probably other public services that are no longer working.
2
It means that some change will affect the lives of many people after such a tragedy, and we have to pray for those who lost their homes, communities and goods.
1
My brother and I were fortunate to have a house across the street from the hospital, which is fine. I'm at my parents home in BC, waiting for the call to return to work.
We had a much bigger fire about five years ago, much farther north which burned over 5000 square kilometres.
Boreal forests burn from time to time, it is very natural. We have had a very dry spring, and the moisture content of the forest around 11% (kiln dried lumber is at a similar content).
We dig up oily sand, remove the oil, replace the sand and replant mined areas. Unlike middle east oil, the area is not war torn nor are export routes protected by a persian gulf fleet, or which finance regimes which oppose western society. Pipelines are absolutely the safety method of transportation. It is insane to ship it by rail due to PR campaigns against pipelines... That are nothing more than misguided anti oil campaigns.. Low hanging fruit, Western production.
Canada is a big country with winters that require homes heated and communities serviced by highways. The nonsense of carbon taxes only increases the cost for every family to live.
Most of the city of Fort McMurray survived, by both good fortune and first responders.
Oil production will resume before the city is ready... We will initially fly in and out, with operations staff living in the camps.
Oilsands work is very honest... Good money is made only if long hours and overtime are worked.
We had a much bigger fire about five years ago, much farther north which burned over 5000 square kilometres.
Boreal forests burn from time to time, it is very natural. We have had a very dry spring, and the moisture content of the forest around 11% (kiln dried lumber is at a similar content).
We dig up oily sand, remove the oil, replace the sand and replant mined areas. Unlike middle east oil, the area is not war torn nor are export routes protected by a persian gulf fleet, or which finance regimes which oppose western society. Pipelines are absolutely the safety method of transportation. It is insane to ship it by rail due to PR campaigns against pipelines... That are nothing more than misguided anti oil campaigns.. Low hanging fruit, Western production.
Canada is a big country with winters that require homes heated and communities serviced by highways. The nonsense of carbon taxes only increases the cost for every family to live.
Most of the city of Fort McMurray survived, by both good fortune and first responders.
Oil production will resume before the city is ready... We will initially fly in and out, with operations staff living in the camps.
Oilsands work is very honest... Good money is made only if long hours and overtime are worked.
If humanity expended half the effort to extract and consume fossil fuels on renewables and energy efficiency we could mitigate these kinds of events. We can find the money to pay people 250K a year to extract tar sands but no money for non carbon energy. The oceans are dying people, the oceans.
3
Whether this is directly caused by climate change - a multi vectored catastrophe - is hard to say.
What is not hard to see however is that climate change will likely create many many more forest fires, accelerating the ecosystems demise.
What is not hard to see however is that climate change will likely create many many more forest fires, accelerating the ecosystems demise.
4
Why did it take so long for the New York Times to get on this story? As a Canadian city burns, we north of the 49th parallel have to put up with non-stop coverage of every utterance Donald Trump makes no matter how inane or ignorant. If anything is to be learned from this by the New York Times, please reflect on your pathetic coverage on events that happen outside U.S. borders.
2
The NYT has run a piece on this fire every day since May 4, as a cursory search would have revealed. Several of the stories were also updated, with the same by-line, during that period.
3
BBC has covered it extensively
2
This is such a tragedy and my heart goes out to all those affected. I can't imagine having my own house burn down, say nothing of the entire town. It's good to know that Canadians, like Americans when they face a crisis, are ready to rebuild. Best of luck to all.
3
This might be a good time to read "Trespassing Across America" by Ken Ilgunas, a writer who walked the entire length of the proposed XL pipeline. His book is newly published and a balanced account of what the pipeline means to the people working on it, the communities it would pass through, and its place in current discussions about climate problems. It's highly readable.
3
While there are no words to convey the loss as a result of this catastrophic event, there is at least some small comfort that the loss of life has been moderately incremental, given its magnitude.
If anything, this should serve as a cautionary tale to those who might have seen the transporting oil-sands to far-flung refineries as advantageous.
The residents of Fort McMurray have already paid the price for that.
If anything, this should serve as a cautionary tale to those who might have seen the transporting oil-sands to far-flung refineries as advantageous.
The residents of Fort McMurray have already paid the price for that.
1
Maybe someone else already mentioned this, I haven't been able to read all 300 comments, but Airbnb is offering to help. On their website, there's a space for people to sign up offering accommodation, and also one for people needing accommodation (as related to this catastrophe, obviously).
3
This occurred simultaneously with Trump's seizure of the Republican nomination.
Coincidence? I think not!
Coincidence? I think not!
1
If it is true when those who say the residents of Fort McMurray somehow deserve this because of an association with the oil industry then the world is Fort McMurray and we all deserve to see our homes burn.
And indeed, that's also true.
2
There is absolutely zero evidence, let alone proof, that AGW has anything to do with droughts or fires in this part of Canada. They have occured naturally for many, many years long before tar sand oil. In fact fire is necessary to regenerate the forest.
The knee jerk reaction by AGW drones and the liberal media to immediately blame any weather event on AGW is now beyond pathetic. These "six degree of seperation" correlations are not science, just an attempt to escalate the hysteria.
The knee jerk reaction by AGW drones and the liberal media to immediately blame any weather event on AGW is now beyond pathetic. These "six degree of seperation" correlations are not science, just an attempt to escalate the hysteria.
5
I was offered a job by Great Canadian Oil Sands in 1975, but when I heard it was at Fort McMurray 180 miles north of Edmonton via a dirt road, I said "no thank you." Still, I feel an especial kind of sorrow for the people of the city whose lives have been so adversely affected by the fire. If rebuilding is to take place there, let's hope ;local officials have the foresight and commonsense to allow this only where fire is not a potential hazard.
1
On earth, we are all subject to catastrophes of one kind or another. If it is not a forest fires, it is floods, or tornados, or earthquakes....
At time like these, one recalls the wise statement of the humble Galilean:" Do not store up yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy...but store up treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy...for where your treasure is , there your heart will be also".
People of McMurray, make sure your priorities are in the right places...we are all pulling for you!
At time like these, one recalls the wise statement of the humble Galilean:" Do not store up yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy...but store up treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy...for where your treasure is , there your heart will be also".
People of McMurray, make sure your priorities are in the right places...we are all pulling for you!
1
Predictably, it took only a few comments for people to emotionally attribute both global warming, and/or or oil mining as causally related to the fires.
Please don't be ignorant. Neither one, have anything to do with the fires. Tar sands do not burn.
Oil - The fires did not start from there, nor does the mining or its development contribute in any way to the severity of it.
Warming - Global warming did not start fires in Canada. We have forest fires every year, and have for centuries. This is an El-nino year, which means whether will be much warmer than usual. As in the US, we have the problem of putting out all smaller fires, which puts us at risk for larger ones. We have actually set higher records than this - over 3 decades ago. Was it global warming then?
The irony is that if Fort McMurray were getting flooded with rains right now, the same people would STILL be claiming it is global warming (just as they do in places experiencing that right now). Anything that happens = global warming. You can't debate that, it's non-falsifiable. If scientists had predicted a specific large devastating fire specifically in Alberta, occurring this years, I would give them more credit. Otherwise, it is basically no different than fortune tellers, who's predictions will indeed come true, eventually, to somebody, somewhere.
Just think a little before posting whatever your emotions insist needs to true.
Please don't be ignorant. Neither one, have anything to do with the fires. Tar sands do not burn.
Oil - The fires did not start from there, nor does the mining or its development contribute in any way to the severity of it.
Warming - Global warming did not start fires in Canada. We have forest fires every year, and have for centuries. This is an El-nino year, which means whether will be much warmer than usual. As in the US, we have the problem of putting out all smaller fires, which puts us at risk for larger ones. We have actually set higher records than this - over 3 decades ago. Was it global warming then?
The irony is that if Fort McMurray were getting flooded with rains right now, the same people would STILL be claiming it is global warming (just as they do in places experiencing that right now). Anything that happens = global warming. You can't debate that, it's non-falsifiable. If scientists had predicted a specific large devastating fire specifically in Alberta, occurring this years, I would give them more credit. Otherwise, it is basically no different than fortune tellers, who's predictions will indeed come true, eventually, to somebody, somewhere.
Just think a little before posting whatever your emotions insist needs to true.
7
Dear Robert,
I don't think anybody thinks this fire was caused directly by an oil fire or anything like that. But the severity of it is most likely related to climate change. And climate change is affected by using fossil fuels. And this place's only reason to exist was to harvest fossil fuels. So there's a link here, not a direct causation link but a general thematic type. It's like someone who ships arms to the Middle East accidentally shooting themselves when they're cleaning their own rifle; they're not killed by the arms they were sending, but nonetheless karma could be said to be a factor.
I don't think anybody thinks this fire was caused directly by an oil fire or anything like that. But the severity of it is most likely related to climate change. And climate change is affected by using fossil fuels. And this place's only reason to exist was to harvest fossil fuels. So there's a link here, not a direct causation link but a general thematic type. It's like someone who ships arms to the Middle East accidentally shooting themselves when they're cleaning their own rifle; they're not killed by the arms they were sending, but nonetheless karma could be said to be a factor.
7
Actually there people on here who are gloating and beating their chests and talking about how this is a righteous judgment from God. Those people make me sick.
2
None of the climate activists I know are arguing that the workers of Fort McMurray are in any way to blame for this catastrophic fire that has caused so many thousands of them so much loss and grief.
Rather, we are saying that this fire and its terrible consequences - especially for tens of thousands of working families - is being made far worse by the heat and drought caused by climate change. This mega fire is a horrific demonstration of exactly why it is blatantly urgent that the whole world take immediate and dramatic action to shift to alternative energy, radically decrease the burning of fossil fuels, and curtail other human activities that are literally cooking our climate. We must do it NOW because the window of opportunity to reduce climate change is growing very short. If we do not take big action, climate change will proceed at full power, and this type of mega fire with all its human tragedy, will become the new normal. Don't we want to prevent that? Can the world read the writing on the wall in 100-foot letters?
Rather, we are saying that this fire and its terrible consequences - especially for tens of thousands of working families - is being made far worse by the heat and drought caused by climate change. This mega fire is a horrific demonstration of exactly why it is blatantly urgent that the whole world take immediate and dramatic action to shift to alternative energy, radically decrease the burning of fossil fuels, and curtail other human activities that are literally cooking our climate. We must do it NOW because the window of opportunity to reduce climate change is growing very short. If we do not take big action, climate change will proceed at full power, and this type of mega fire with all its human tragedy, will become the new normal. Don't we want to prevent that? Can the world read the writing on the wall in 100-foot letters?
4
It's karma. People were profiting there from taking fossil fuels out of the sand, thus increasing the climate change problems, and continuing to pollute the environment. So the environment struck back. I don't have any pity for them at all, sorry, hopefully they'll find new employment working on alternative, renewable energy sources.
4
If you believe so strongly in karma, then watch your own back. No one living in the first world is a saint in the eyes of the environment.
7
Dear Chyllynn,
I do believe in karma, but I have no need to watch my own back. I will not be able to dodge my deserved fate, and whenever it comes for me, well, I deserved it.
I do believe in karma, but I have no need to watch my own back. I will not be able to dodge my deserved fate, and whenever it comes for me, well, I deserved it.
1
NYC dumps tons of partially treated sewage plant effluent into the waterways on a continuing basis, and raw sewage every time there is a heavy rainfall. that's why beaches get closed because of high coliform counts.
If you had any understanding of the environment, you would be more concerned about your own Karmic balance. There is no excuse for the havoc NYC wreaks on the environment.
If you had any understanding of the environment, you would be more concerned about your own Karmic balance. There is no excuse for the havoc NYC wreaks on the environment.
1
Are we sending our fire fighters to Canada? Have we mobilizing the national guard to help our neighbors? If we aren't we should be and if we are I've not read about it.
6
Right on Brother!
1
A number of countries have offered to send fire-suppression personnel and equipment but the Canadian government has gratefully declined. It's not just a matter of more people and more stuff, unfortunately.
2
I've been following this story from the beginning and, aside from the personal tragedy, I am in awe that everyone got out -- there were no deaths due to the fire itself. It wasn't only the young and fit who had to leave in such a hurry -- it was people of all ages, the infants to the very old, the sick, the disabled. That is an astonishing feat! And it was done without a lot of drama (which isn't the same as not being very frightened and scared). When I think back on various evaluation situations in recent years in this country, many of which were done sloppily and/or poorly, with lots of injury and deaths, I am once again very impressed by our Canadian neighbors. There is a whole lot we can learn from them if we would just get off our over weaned sense of exceptionalism!
13
My understanding is that about 20% of Fort McMurray has burned down. These stories make it sound like the entire town burned to the ground. Yes, everybody evacuated, but they are returning now. Those of us far from this disaster get so many incorrect impressions even from "the paper of record" such as the NY Times.
1
The only people returning are utility workers, and it's entirely possible that they will have to evacuate again, if the winds shift. The government is planning to allow some residents back to assess their losses, but again, when or whether this happens depends entirely on what The Beast decides to do. The NYT has actually done a excellent job reporting this very complex story.
6
It is your "impressions" that are mistaken. People returning are only those allowed in to survey damage, rescue pets. It will be weeks before the majority of services are operating, and safety is ensured. Houses that did not burn down likely suffered significant water damage and smoke damage, and will not be habitable without major repairs. It is my understanding that two school burned down. Toxic ash needs to be cleaned up. The NYT is not giving a false impression as to the devastation to a city of 88,000 people.
5
No indication of help from American firefighting crews. Why not?
3
From reading between the lines, apparently the Canadians have sufficient well trained resources to fight the fire. They also apparently have a different philosophy because most of their fires do not impinge on populated areas, and that is not the case with American fires. The population readily evacuated, which is not the case with American fires, so there was not much need for the firefighters to risk their lives trying to control fires around populated areas.
This is not intended to be critical of Californians: in many cases their homes are too close to the forests, so they don't have a day or two of notice.
This is not intended to be critical of Californians: in many cases their homes are too close to the forests, so they don't have a day or two of notice.
1
I'm not a climate change denier at all, but having spent some time there, I know there are different factors at play. One, the vast wilderness buttresses right against the city, which is a thin strip with satellite suburbs, easily overcome. It was a thin line of civilization to being with. Two, forest fires are a common occurrence in northern Alberta and Canada. I remember thinking of traveling across Northern Saskatchewan in the summer, only to be dissuaded by a friend who rightfully pointed out that you could be legally compelled to help fight a forest fire at any time if you were in the vicinity of one, and the chances of that were high. Three, there is one road north, so evacuations were inevitable. People could be trapped there, and were, when they went north. Four, Alberta has always had inconsistent weather and precipitation. I remember it snowing significantly in late May. It's the prairies up against against the rockies, and throw in El Nina, global warming variations, and the act that temperature changes from global warming have been spiking the further north you go, it was a perfect storm. But I still found it strange that even with all the vastness of the wilderness there, and the multitude of forest fires every year, that one would start exactly in the spot where it would cause the most controversy and initiate the most debate about climate change.
4
Wow what a missed opportunity for visual reporting. Tyler Hicks couldn't bring a $500 drone to show damage from the air?
1
I have hope that Justin Trudeau, the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada and his government, will lead his country in a more positive and intelligent direction, with regard to confronting and dealing with climate change and the responsible utilization of Canada's natural resources, than did his predecessor. He has already participated in international meetings to address climate change and seems much more open to scientific research and findings on the subject.
The current wildfires in Alberta are tragic and my heart goes out to the people whose lives have been turned upside down by these events. However, we should take this situation as a warning for what is surely in store for many others areas around the globe if we don't take the warming of the planet, and the role human activity and government decisions play in it , more seriously.
The current wildfires in Alberta are tragic and my heart goes out to the people whose lives have been turned upside down by these events. However, we should take this situation as a warning for what is surely in store for many others areas around the globe if we don't take the warming of the planet, and the role human activity and government decisions play in it , more seriously.
2
Extracting oil from tar sands is a disgusting rape of the forest and land!
It's difficult to feel sorry for people involved in that process.
All they cared about was the $$$
Humanity should be moving away from fossil fuel...
But no big oil wants to squeeze every last black drop to our doom!
It's difficult to feel sorry for people involved in that process.
All they cared about was the $$$
Humanity should be moving away from fossil fuel...
But no big oil wants to squeeze every last black drop to our doom!
4
Millions of citizens in Canada have joined to help the evacuees of Fort Mac. What have the Sunoco and it's cohorts done besides laying everybody off?
2
For starters, they all opened their facilities, fed and housed evacuees. They flew evacuees out of the camps north of Ft. Mac to Edmonton and Calgary from their runways in their own contracted planes. Of the $60,000,000 raised in 1 week by the Canadian Red Cross, some of those donations were corporate, and I would be surprised if some of those corporations were not oil companies.
4
Events are in the saddle and they ride mankind. This is not the first not the last natural disaster. This is one of many we will be seeing. This is nature's revenge. This is her way of saying enough is enough. I will reclaim what is mine because humans will never be satisfied.
4
Am I the only one who sees the irony in an oil boom town wiped out by global warming? I'm sorry and sad for the families, but talk about your full circle. This is what the future looks like, ladies and gents. Buckle in, it's gonna be a rough ride.
7
Wildfires in Alaska in February. Devastating fires in Canada's boreal forest in May. Year-round fire season appears to be a reality. How ironic these most recent fires have consumed a town which owes its very existence to an energy source that, by any legitimate scientific research, is contributing to a warmer and more unpredictable future. Unfortunately, for the residents of Ft. McMurray, it seems the oil-soaked pigeon has come home to roost.
15
How smug. How unfeeling. These are regular working folk, whose homes and livelihood have just been wiped out in the most terrifying, primeval way imaginable.
Whether climate change is the cause doesn't matter when you've just lost your child's first photos. If you think climate change is the cause, which is perfectly reasonable, you should be taking it up with Exxon, BP and their shills in Congress/Parliament, not scoring points off of regular people just trying to make a living.
Whether climate change is the cause doesn't matter when you've just lost your child's first photos. If you think climate change is the cause, which is perfectly reasonable, you should be taking it up with Exxon, BP and their shills in Congress/Parliament, not scoring points off of regular people just trying to make a living.
10
Karma is a tricky thing.
2
In fifty years, when the earth is experiencing global cooling, those in the future will view your opinions in the same light as we view the beliefs of the ancient societies that threw virgins into volcanos to satiate the gods of fire.
The same way they will bemoan the deaths resulting from the banning of DDT and the legacy of the phrenologist and eugenicist false sciences.
The same way they will bemoan the deaths resulting from the banning of DDT and the legacy of the phrenologist and eugenicist false sciences.
"Doctors and lawyers don’t make the money we make."
That's what it's all about, isn't it? Short-term profit at the expense of the environment and everything else. Enjoy the ashes, folks; maybe they'll be worth billions some day.
That's what it's all about, isn't it? Short-term profit at the expense of the environment and everything else. Enjoy the ashes, folks; maybe they'll be worth billions some day.
12
I am offended by your lack of sympathy. We should all be reaching out to help these people.
7
Couldn't agree more, weylguy. Mother nature is taking back her planet, and very soon we may not have a place on it anymore.
2
Dear Rick from NY,
He has a point though. People who profit at the expense of the environment, thus potentially dooming humanity's future, don't deserve much sympathy.
Consider if an arms dealer was transporting a shipment of missiles to Syria, to be used on helpless civilians, and something went wrong and his shipment blew up the ship he was in. Would he deserve the slightest bit of sympathy? That's more extreme than this case, but not by much, as killing people with missiles is minor compared to destroying the environment as a whole.
He has a point though. People who profit at the expense of the environment, thus potentially dooming humanity's future, don't deserve much sympathy.
Consider if an arms dealer was transporting a shipment of missiles to Syria, to be used on helpless civilians, and something went wrong and his shipment blew up the ship he was in. Would he deserve the slightest bit of sympathy? That's more extreme than this case, but not by much, as killing people with missiles is minor compared to destroying the environment as a whole.
1
The fire was finally extinguished by the rain. But for the rain, it would still be burning. Is this correct?
3
The fire is still burning and they expect it will takes weeks to extinguish. The rain helped slow the spread.
5
Also, the wind changed direction. Yes, it will go on for a while, but is not as big as was feared.
Dear New York Times. Your feature stories on the fire are nice, but could you please do some hard news? How big is the fire now? What will happen if it reaches the oilsands areas of extraction and industry? What about the carbon footprint of the fire, the impact on the industry there, and the role of climate change in creating the fire conditions? What is the prognosis for the fire spreading? What are the efforts to control it amounting to?
19
The NYT has done an excellent job covering this fire. It has run several previous stories - this one provides deeper background on the city, its demographics and the oil industry. Previous stories focussed more on the size of the fire, estimates of damage, and, of course, the evacuation process. There are many other sources of information if you wish to supplement your reading. CBC, Globe and Mail, CTV, the Red Cross, Canadian government sites and so on. I've seen people criticizing the coverage because it doesn't include information on what is being done for pets left behind, estimated loss of wildlife, why the PM hasn't flown in yet, how many Canadians from the Eastern Seaboard are returning there, and so on. Some of the questions are not even answerable, and even if they are, the answer may well be different tomorrow!
3
I don't wish this on anyone, least of all the Canadian citizens who've lost their homes and towns. Soon California will be on fire, again.
The conditions setting this up are caused by climate change. It's time to address this with a vengeance. It's time for the grown ups to force real change.
Make climate change your litmus test for candidates running for office. Be part of the solution or stop talking.
The conditions setting this up are caused by climate change. It's time to address this with a vengeance. It's time for the grown ups to force real change.
Make climate change your litmus test for candidates running for office. Be part of the solution or stop talking.
18
They probably WILL rebuild, but it will take years and years and years. It isn't the house and the furniture or the car, it's the momentos, the photographs, your child's first handprint or footprint. Graduation pictures. Sports trophies. Our hearts really do go out to the people of ALberta.
17
Some folks will say that they're just things
when speaking to those who have just lost their things
but what are these objects that they toss in their banter back and forth
what exactly are these things?
They say that people are not things
but we are and they, these people, are the things we care most about
pets aren't people but they're things too
whether dog, a cat or Cockatoo
that's a bird in case you wondered
but pets aside, possessions too
which, for most, are a lot of things to now be without
there are still things most people never think about
that job you love going to
is a thing some may no longer get to do
or that place they asked to marry you
might now just be a thing to think about
as you stand looking at the shadow left
where they once held your hand and knelt
the money that was raised for that park for kids to play
seems like something wasted now, both money and the time
and the smile on grandma's face as she pushed that tire swing
is a picture in a frame now gone they cant redo
how you have wished that weren't true
as you survey all things lost
things that are no longer things for you
looking out towards the thing you thought would be your future too
amazed at how quickly things can change
but you'll make do just as folks say
these folks with things who like to tell you what is true
that they're just things and you'll get by
of course this will take some time
for you now know exactly what things are
whereas before you may have said...
when speaking to those who have just lost their things
but what are these objects that they toss in their banter back and forth
what exactly are these things?
They say that people are not things
but we are and they, these people, are the things we care most about
pets aren't people but they're things too
whether dog, a cat or Cockatoo
that's a bird in case you wondered
but pets aside, possessions too
which, for most, are a lot of things to now be without
there are still things most people never think about
that job you love going to
is a thing some may no longer get to do
or that place they asked to marry you
might now just be a thing to think about
as you stand looking at the shadow left
where they once held your hand and knelt
the money that was raised for that park for kids to play
seems like something wasted now, both money and the time
and the smile on grandma's face as she pushed that tire swing
is a picture in a frame now gone they cant redo
how you have wished that weren't true
as you survey all things lost
things that are no longer things for you
looking out towards the thing you thought would be your future too
amazed at how quickly things can change
but you'll make do just as folks say
these folks with things who like to tell you what is true
that they're just things and you'll get by
of course this will take some time
for you now know exactly what things are
whereas before you may have said...
2
Oh, Alberta!
It has a long History of Firing up the towns that goes back to the days of the Dukhubor settlers of ages past, who burned all they had made with their own hands, including homes, barns, their clothing, when they were angry with government laws.
It has a long History of Firing up the towns that goes back to the days of the Dukhubor settlers of ages past, who burned all they had made with their own hands, including homes, barns, their clothing, when they were angry with government laws.
I can understand why people think this is no time to moralize. Nevertheless, at some point, unless we want to totally disregard what climate scientists are telling us, we have to stop praising people who want to get rich fast so badly that they do not care about what happens to the climate. If people can be told to stop smoking in public, surely we can ask people to consider working in wind or solar instead of in tar sands oil. After all, smokers can't be sure that the smoke from their own cigarettes will hurt anyone at all. It's a question of avoiding risk to others. In the same way, the oil companies have not right to put the inhabitability of the earth in danger by finding ever dirtier types of oil, just when we need to get away from it. This is simple common decency.
12
Two words: Global. Warming.
One thing that's adding to the dry tinder going up in flames is that a beetle that kills boreal trees is spreading in the Canadian northern forests.
Sadly the conditions which led to these fires will worsen as the century progresses, unless huge changes occur very soon.
My heart goes out to all involved: those who have been forced to flee; those who have lost homes, cars etc; firefighters; public officials; aid workers. Stay safe! Be patient.
As for the rest of us, we need to work to lower fossil fuels and we need to provide for large areas free of trees and dry vegetation surrounding towns, homes or other buildings, in order to try and keep communities and those who live, work or visit them safer.
One thing that's adding to the dry tinder going up in flames is that a beetle that kills boreal trees is spreading in the Canadian northern forests.
Sadly the conditions which led to these fires will worsen as the century progresses, unless huge changes occur very soon.
My heart goes out to all involved: those who have been forced to flee; those who have lost homes, cars etc; firefighters; public officials; aid workers. Stay safe! Be patient.
As for the rest of us, we need to work to lower fossil fuels and we need to provide for large areas free of trees and dry vegetation surrounding towns, homes or other buildings, in order to try and keep communities and those who live, work or visit them safer.
9
Due in part to the world's use of oil contributing to global climate instability, fast cash from the exact same source that helped turn McMurray in to a boom town has in turn unfortunately brought destruction down on them.
10
The Titanic, hit my an iceberg, sank relatively quickly with a huge loss of life.
The Twin Towers took years to put up, but can tumbling down in a matter of days with a huge loss of life.
Whether one believes in personal faith or impersonal fate, in the end Mother Nature runs this planet.
And although most of the the faithful will continue to deny the huge and real impact of human-caused climate change, the times, and the climate, they are a changin.
Edward Abbey: "Growth for the sake of growth (aka Capitalism) is the ideology of a cancer cell."
The Twin Towers took years to put up, but can tumbling down in a matter of days with a huge loss of life.
Whether one believes in personal faith or impersonal fate, in the end Mother Nature runs this planet.
And although most of the the faithful will continue to deny the huge and real impact of human-caused climate change, the times, and the climate, they are a changin.
Edward Abbey: "Growth for the sake of growth (aka Capitalism) is the ideology of a cancer cell."
10
I think that simile is useful enough to enter the American lexicon.
1
extract the twin towers and I will recommend your comment. It had nothing to do with mother nature.
1
In staring at the pictures I am struck that the deciduous trees appear to be much greener than the ones here in Vermont. Fort McMurray is about 800 miles north of here. Can it be normal for their spring to be earlier than ours?
2
It was the combination of a very mild winter, unusually warm weather last week (30C),a nd high winds, that held to the fire to spread so quickly and cause so much damage.
6
short answer, no. New England is close to one of the only cool patches on earth. One of the best places to be in the coming decades.
4
No, spring all over Alberta, and I believe Western Canada was 6 weeks early. Not two, or three or four, but six weeks! I planted peas the last day of February, and they are alive and thriving. Normally I would plant my entire garden the third or fourth week of May. We have not had a killer frost in southern Alberta since the middle of January. And almost no moisture. It is a crazy, unbelievable year.
4
My brother is a firefighter in Fort McMurray and has lived/worked there for 10 years. Tomorrow will be his first non-20 hour day in over 8 days, and he will spend it bringing a car down to his wife in Calgary. For those who are saying that this article is over-sensational, you have no idea. My sister-in-law said the pictures cannot do justice to the terror of driving through a literal inferno, the radiant heat that could be felt in your car, the complete lack of visibility from the smoke, ashes and soot dropping on your roof, and not knowing if you will make it out alive - at that point, you've stopped caring about your home or possesions, you just need to get out. Add to her stress the knowledge that her husband was still battling the fires. I now have a second brother who is a firefighter in Calgary who has joined in fighting "the beast" in Fort McMurray.
And the danger to the firefighters is still real, as we in Arizona know from the 19 Hot Shots killed in the Yarnell fire almost three summers ago.
To say that "only 20%" of the city is lost is insulting - what would it take to rebuild 20% of your city? And that doesn't account for possible structural and smoke damage to the existing structures.
The question of cause at this point is irrelevant - whatever your faith, we just need to be praying for rain so that the "beast" will be extinguished and these people can begin to rebuild.
And the danger to the firefighters is still real, as we in Arizona know from the 19 Hot Shots killed in the Yarnell fire almost three summers ago.
To say that "only 20%" of the city is lost is insulting - what would it take to rebuild 20% of your city? And that doesn't account for possible structural and smoke damage to the existing structures.
The question of cause at this point is irrelevant - whatever your faith, we just need to be praying for rain so that the "beast" will be extinguished and these people can begin to rebuild.
58
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Joni. As a former "hot shot" who saw a lot of damage, this fire is a in a very special class. Unfortunately, it is not in some out of the way wilderness.
Prayers to all involved both the residents, the down winders dealing with the smoke, and the firefighters on the ground and in the air. May they all remain safe.
Prayers to all involved both the residents, the down winders dealing with the smoke, and the firefighters on the ground and in the air. May they all remain safe.
6
Your brother is a hero. My heart aches for the PTSD he and all those still fighting the fire, and all those evacuated will suffer. I hope they ask for and receive all the assistance they need over the coming months and years.
1
This event is not about oil sands, the boreal forest or Keystone XL. Fort McMurray is not just a dot on the map nor was it "carved" out of a forest — any more than New York City is or was. And there are many people born and raised in Fort McMurray who are not flying in and out of "Fort Make Money". I find the NYT's coverage of this whole thing disrespectful — as though the displacement of 80,000 people and destruction of 20% of their homes is not interesting enough, it plants these key words and issues throughout its coverage. It even managed to bring in the topic of Syria and other refugees as a comparison.
8
Please consider donating to the Canadian Red Cross Alberta fires relief effort. Donations are being matched by the Canadian federal government. Keep in mind, donations will be denominated in CAD, so a $25 CAD donation is about $20 USD.
5
I forgot about the difference in the exchange rate (compared to what it used to be) until I looked at the transaction on debit card statement.
As it's starting to warm up, we are approaching Wildfire season. It's sad to see those who are stranded and having to evacuate their homes due to this disaster. There are many ways to prepare for this uncertainty and by planning for the worst, you can ensure that you and your family can stay safe through these tragedies. We've got an update on the Fort Mcmurray Fire and what you can do be prepared. http://ow.ly/vbgg30035iH
1
It is kind of amazing that there was only property loss in this huge fire. There was time to move everyone out of danger. That is the only good to come out of this. Canada will continue to work the oil sands. Maybe not so much now but again in the future. Oil spells money.
7
They will rebuild it is who they are.
7
Interest in huge money and profit is synonym of ecological disasters. We often forget or ignore that right now thousands of acres are silently disappearing around the world in order to satisfy the greed of big corporation. In a matter of days we would forget Fort McMurray until the next tragic reality check.
20
The "greedy corporations" do it to supply you with the goods that make you r life comfortable. Oil to fuel your vehicle, fuel the trucks the bring food and goods to your community, run the power plants to keep your lights on and your furnace running in winter. "Greedy corporations" mine the metals the are used to make wind turbines, and solar panel, mine the rare earth materials that are required to build the batteries for electric cars and materials for solar panels. The profits of "greedy corporations" make the stocks held by your mutual fund or your pension provider increase in value so that you can collect those benefits when it is your time to do so.
If you don't need any of the things above, or are willing to get them all by your own hand, then go ahead and decry "greedy corporations". If not, then maybe educate yourself and try to buy goods created by companies that try to minimize their environmental impact while supplying the things you need/want.
If you don't need any of the things above, or are willing to get them all by your own hand, then go ahead and decry "greedy corporations". If not, then maybe educate yourself and try to buy goods created by companies that try to minimize their environmental impact while supplying the things you need/want.
12
No, corporations do not do what they do in order to supply us all those wonderful things. They do it to make money. They are required by law to make profit for their shareholders. If they could pluck money from trees for themselves, they would do this, instead of supplying people with goods and services. But people will not give them money unless they supply something in return. That is economics. People do not generally toil away for the benefit of strangers. Corporations are not altruistic. If they were they would form collectives instead of for-profit companies. They put profit first and foremost. They brag about supplying employment for people, but just wait until automation gets to the point where people are not needed. Then we will see how generous corporations are. Better get behind the idea of Basic Income before all the jobs are gone.
2
Thanks for lecturing me. I will try to further educate myself.
So, your bottom line is: "The big corporation has all the right to destroy the environment if the consumer is willing to pay for goods and services. Forget the future generation".
I wonder if there is something missing in your logic.
So, your bottom line is: "The big corporation has all the right to destroy the environment if the consumer is willing to pay for goods and services. Forget the future generation".
I wonder if there is something missing in your logic.
2
One has to wonder if the geniuses here pretending to be climate "scientists" realize that naturally occurring forest fires like this release more c02 than all human industrial activity in a year?
3
at least forests create oxygen, homes for all kinds of animals, preserve soil, etc....
4
This was a very warm and dry winter in Alberta, due largely to El Nino and the "blob" in the Pacific Ocean. The forests are extremely dry and, as in California, the area desperately needs moisture. The city did not burn down but there has been extensive damage to neighborhoods and some infrastructure and it will take years for the people to recover. This is probably the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history.
Global warming is, well, global, and blaming the people in Fort McMurray for it is because of the oil sands is ridiculous. The industry there will continue on as long as people want to fly, drive, turn on their lights and buy items made of plastic. The world needs to move away from fossil fuels but anyone who knows how the industry works knows that it will take decades, not years to eliminate the world's dependence on oil.
And by the way, to those who say the area around Fort McMurray is a complete wasteland, I would ask them to consider that so many square miles of forest burned because there is a massive natural environment in the area.
Global warming is, well, global, and blaming the people in Fort McMurray for it is because of the oil sands is ridiculous. The industry there will continue on as long as people want to fly, drive, turn on their lights and buy items made of plastic. The world needs to move away from fossil fuels but anyone who knows how the industry works knows that it will take decades, not years to eliminate the world's dependence on oil.
And by the way, to those who say the area around Fort McMurray is a complete wasteland, I would ask them to consider that so many square miles of forest burned because there is a massive natural environment in the area.
18
It is astounding that over 80,000 people were evacuated in a matter of hours, and there were no injuries or deaths. The first responders, and everyone involved, can be proud and thankful for this incredible achievement.
36
Since most of these folks live in a remote place and work for the oil industry there are tens of thousands of them that are trained to deal with emergencies on all different levels. Probably a very well trained population is one of the factors in this.
9
Two people died in a motor vehicle accident. Unfortunately, reports indicate that their family members were travelling behind them and witnessed the accident.
2
Unfortunately, two people were killed in an MVA during the evacuation. What amazes me (I've worked fire suppression) is that there have been no fatalities or even serious injuries among the fire suppression crews on the ground or in the air. For a fire of this magnitude, that's remarkable.
2
Instead of saving photos, how about saving your proof of insurance on your home?
1
Is it really necessary to judge what someone decides to save in a life-threatening crisis? I was in an apartment fire once, and the practical items were the last things on my mind.
9
All you need is your address, and answer some security questions to file a claim. Just like you would when you call your insurance company.
2
I forgot to ask but does any NYT reader know where an everyday person like me can send clothes, shoes, personal products to these homeless citizens? I have some stuff I would gladly give to them. I really care about Canadians as they are wonderful neighbors.
9
There are more than a dozen evacuation centres throughout the province that are accepting donations of the following: Soap, toiletries, water, food, pillows, blankets, new underwear, shoes, dog food, cat food - however, many evacuation centres are reporting they have already had an overwhelming response and Alberta residents are continuing to collect needed supplies. (Even Petsmart Charities is collecting donations for pets and has had an incredible response, both in cash and supplies.) Unless you are close to the border of Alberta, it probably makes more sense to donate cash.
The easiest way for anyone who wants to help: a donation can be made to the Canadian Red Cross at redcross.ca or 1-800-418-1111. The Cdn gov't is matching all private donations made here.
See the following article for other places to help: http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/want-to-help-those-fleeing-fort-mcmur...
The easiest way for anyone who wants to help: a donation can be made to the Canadian Red Cross at redcross.ca or 1-800-418-1111. The Cdn gov't is matching all private donations made here.
See the following article for other places to help: http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/want-to-help-those-fleeing-fort-mcmur...
1
Agreed! Google canada disaster relief. You will reach Canadian Red Cross. Local agencies are accepting donations of goods. Maybe Salvation Army can get stuff to Ft. McMurray.
1
They are actually asking people not to donate those types of items - there is too much sorting through, etc. The best thing to do is to donate to the Red Cross, mainly because the provincial and federal government are matching the funds (which is a little bizarre in my opinion - shouldn't they just provide what is needed?!). If you're local, they are also asking that you donate to the food banks.
https://donate.redcross.ca/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1951&ea.cam...
https://donate.redcross.ca/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1951&ea.cam...
4
Please, no more `climate change` baloney. These wildfires have been a natural occurrence in Canada FOREVER. And Fort McMurray is not burned to the ground as you have implied. Reports from on the ground say that 20 percent of homes burned. While devastating, they will rebuild, better than before.
5
My god the loss. People, animals, ecosystems, the loss is staggering in size. Canada has some big fires, huge fires sure. But the temperature maps tell a different story - Northern Canada in April was as hot as southern Texas..... People argue over climate change, is it or isn't it happening, but here in Montana most of us know it's happening. We see it in the beetle killed trees (no freeze in winter to kill them)...in the glaciers melting, in the scourge of yellow jackets every summer (no freeze to kill them off). And where I live we breathe it in the smoke that pours in from the fires around us. What's it going to take? Apparently, until the houses of Corporate CEO's , executive teams, Trump & his ilk, and other obstructionist politicians burn in such a conflagration, nothing is enough to convince those who see it as inconvenient that it is indeed real. And it is, indeed, upon us.
92
I might suggest the first place to look is Koch Industries, among the biggest polluters on the planet whom have paid countless fines in the process and whom bribe American politicians to do nothing.
2
The getting what they deserved comments here are beyond distasteful and an absolute disgrace. And there is no evidence that the fire was caused by CO2 emitted by the oil producers.
26
But you can bet if there WAS evidence that the fire was caused by CO2 emitted by the oil producers, we would absolutely NEVER hear about it.
6
May not have caused it but certainly helped to make it worse: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2016/05/the_mcm...
9
Can we please leave the religious arguments out of it? "Act of God" is a legal term relating to natural, or unpreventable disasters. References to divine punishment, Sodom and Gomorrah, etc. are ridiculous - and this is coming from a Christian.
Let's focus on compassion for these people, and think about ways to prevent or mitigate such disasters in the future, rather than dragging political and religious ideology into it.
Let's focus on compassion for these people, and think about ways to prevent or mitigate such disasters in the future, rather than dragging political and religious ideology into it.
25
Thank you for pointing this out. In Canada, "Act of God" is not a legal term and it is not used by insurance companies. The Canadian term is "peril," which means any natural event that was not preventable, such as an earthquake or flood. (I just found out that it was a legal term in the U.S.). "Act of God" is only a religious concept in Canada. It sounds as though sinners are being punished by God, which is apparently not the implication in U.S. law.
1
I love it! Absolutely climate change. Absolutely caused by burning fossil fuels. Absolutely Fort McMurray is a direct contributor to this. I lived and worked there for 2 years.
Evolution has not resulted in enough of us (or the people in power enough) foresight to change our habits. Too bad. We had a nice run. Few understand or are prepared for the environmental debts coming due.
Evolution has not resulted in enough of us (or the people in power enough) foresight to change our habits. Too bad. We had a nice run. Few understand or are prepared for the environmental debts coming due.
26
Take a pill. This fire was/is caused by El Nino. Scientists see La Nina (the colder rainier opposite) forming for next year. Then what'll you be harping about. Save global warming fears for real global warming or you're diminishing the cause.
2
For sure, as there were no forest fires before humans starting burning fossil fuels. This poster should win the Nobel Prize.
3
You love it? Nice, Fort McMurray is no more a contributor then you sitting at your Chinese built computer or your Ipad/Iphone, Samsung galaxy or whatever device you use to communicate your idiotic comment. Climate change is no more the fault of people of Fort McMurray than yours. Last time I checked bananas and oranges don't grow naturally in Brooklyn and consequently are shipped to your grocery store by truck, rail or boat - all of which use hydrocarbon. You probably drive to work like most people, if not you take the some form of public transit all of which rely in one way or another on hydrocarbons. Unless most/all sanctimonious toads like you move into small apartments and grow their food in a community garden and stop importing fresh fruits and vegetables and stop eating any source of meat because all of these activities depend heavily in one way or another on hydrocarbons, you are as much a contributor because of your consumption than those who are producing the energy to enable your consumption. Give up all your electronics, your carbon fibre bikes that are all made in China because that consumption as more to do with greenhouse gas emissions than the people of Fort McMurray. Look in the mirror for the cause of anthropogenic sources of climate change and take long hard look at the things you buy and where they come from because every single human being is the cause. Please spare us all your sanctimony because you have no lessons to give...
7
For all those self righteous people commenting here and blaming climate change for this terrible fire, ask yourself the following question: What are you willing to change in your lifestyle in order to have a significant influence on rising temperatures worldwide? Will you discontinue your use of fossil fuels to power your automobile or heat your home? Will you switch to solar from your conventional electricity provider who uses coal and oil to provide you with power for your lights, computer, and cell phone? Or will you just sit back, and smugly criticize everyone else while you continue to contribute to the global warming you blame for every ecological problem?
15
Thank you Paul!! I’ve been saying this for years.
3
I would do all that you suggest if the options were there for me - even if a financial stretch. I do a lot already.
I do not own and have never owned a car, & live in a modest apt. I do not own a smart phone, have children, or eat meat. My only major "sin" is owning computers, but they are necessary for my work.
I doubt, however, many other people would follow my example. Nor do I expect them to. But I do wish they would trim the fat. I do not have a tough life by any means, though I live pretty simply. We still have the impression energy and other needs arise from fairy dust or something - and their costs are absorbed out of sight hence out of mind. Like garbage we toss, labor we indirectly exploit in other countries, etc.
A little more awareness of our ecological footprints might help.
I do not own and have never owned a car, & live in a modest apt. I do not own a smart phone, have children, or eat meat. My only major "sin" is owning computers, but they are necessary for my work.
I doubt, however, many other people would follow my example. Nor do I expect them to. But I do wish they would trim the fat. I do not have a tough life by any means, though I live pretty simply. We still have the impression energy and other needs arise from fairy dust or something - and their costs are absorbed out of sight hence out of mind. Like garbage we toss, labor we indirectly exploit in other countries, etc.
A little more awareness of our ecological footprints might help.
8
I live on a small sailboat so my environmental impact is negligible. But for those living more normal lives, changing their lifestyle is not easy. I do agree with the context of your message but could you guide those self righteous folks along your own righteous path?
3
Massive fires in the Canadian wildland forests of the north have been almost routine as far back as I can remember, starting with my working maintenance on the Mid-Canada Line in 1960. Its unmanned stations were reached only be helicopter. On one flight from the Flin Flon sector control station west, we flew for 20 minutes with a solid line of fire and smoke to our south. Today there are two major fires in the Manitoba forests alone, one half the size of that consuming Fort McMurray and still growing rapidly.
These fires are a natural part of that forest's ecology. They are not man made, and man is essentially helpless to control them.
These fires are a natural part of that forest's ecology. They are not man made, and man is essentially helpless to control them.
22
Absolutely! The 1918 Cloquet Fire in Minn. was HUGE. Today's problem begins with our being too efficient at forest fire fighting and not giving the land a chance to regenerate through natural burns.
3
Coming up on the 200th anniversary of the 'Miramichi Fire' that burned 2.5MM+ acres in Eastern Canada - actually one of the key factors in the severity of the current wildfire issues is the very 'effective' wildfire suppression techniques that have been implemented in recent years. The 'natural' burns are supressed and the fuel for these major outbreaks builds up to levels that make wildfires difficult to contain when they do get away.
2
This is way out of season, and that *is* global warming. As are a variety of contributors. Wildfires worldwide are one symptom.
There are a lot of disastrous incident cause from climate change. People still the one suffer it the most. Hope for all resident in Fort McMurray will get pass it over soon and rebuild their lives again.
4
The venal and powerful oil industry is to the earth as the wretched tobacco industry is to the health of human beings. It is way past the time to end the stranglehold that oil has on the planet for. as Chief Seattle warned, "the earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth".
16
I hope they discover how this fire got started because it wasn't mother nature.
1
About half the time, actually, it IS mother nature. Statistics from the Canadian Natural Resources website:
"The fire season generally runs from April to October, with the peak of activity occurring from mid-May to August. Catastrophic fires tend to occur during periods of extended drought or wind storms. Lightning strikes cause slightly less than half of all wildland fires in Canada, but account for nearly 67% of the land area burned. Humans cause slightly more than half of all wildland fires in Canada"
"The fire season generally runs from April to October, with the peak of activity occurring from mid-May to August. Catastrophic fires tend to occur during periods of extended drought or wind storms. Lightning strikes cause slightly less than half of all wildland fires in Canada, but account for nearly 67% of the land area burned. Humans cause slightly more than half of all wildland fires in Canada"
10
We hope they find out too. Careless smoking and extinguishing of camp fires in recreational land is a big cause. What should be happening immediately is the enforcement of fire barricades. People like to build huge homes next to the forest so they can watch the parade of deer and other animals wander through their yards. Then a fire happens and they want want protection. ?? It should be unlawful to build homes on flood plains and on forest preserves. On the grassy prairies, people have to clear all dry grasses away from the living areas. I thought that was common sense.
I am sorry that this happened and I feel badly for the victims. However this put the final nail in the coffin for a tars sands pipeline that ex PM Stephen Harper, in conjunction with our Republican party, was trying to shove down our collective US throats while lying through the teeth about safety. Bye Bye tar sands oil.
7
Despite this terrible occurrence, I am afraid the pipeline issue and whether or not it might be eventually built, is not quite finished yet. Through an influential lobbyist and their connection to the Clintons, Trans Canada, the builder of the Keystone XL pipeline recently deposited 500,000 dollars in to the Clinton Foundations account.
Of course, they did this because they were no longer interested in building it?
Of course, they did this because they were no longer interested in building it?
Canadians need to keep their garbage in their own country.
1
This city did not burn to the ground. As reported, there were 1600 structures, homes and businesses that were lost. There is a reported 88,000 population. That leaves at least 80,000 people still WITH homes, the hospital is intact, schools intact, downtown core mostly intact, water supply intact. There are vast sections of the city which show no sign of fire at all. The city suffered damage but is far from devastated and smouldering in ashes. Can we all please just stop the hype and overblown sentiments of what was lost and focus on what wasn't lost and thank the teams of firefighters for that? The NY Times headline of the city being left in ashes is incredibly misleading and simply not true.
17
You are correct that firefighters did an amazing job saving infrastructure, as this was their priority & will be essential to the rebuilding of the city. However, a full count of buildings destroyed has not been finalized (fire crews were too busy with the work at hand). This morning it was estimated that 20% of all homes were destroyed. Residents will not be able to return for quite some time. I know our school (almost 500 km away) is this morning welcoming and registering Ft Mac students for the remaining 8 weeks of school, as are schools throughout Edmonton and the province of Alberta.
8
Blaming this tragic fire on "global warming" is ridiculous since wild forest fires are naturally occurring events. Happening around the world for thousands of years long before the word "global warming" or even humans existed. Periods of droughts alternating with heavy storms and flooding is also natural, noted since the beginning of recorded history.
9
Most interesting. The area is rich with tar sands, whose extraction of oil requires goodly use of energy which emits more CO2, which exacerbates climate change which likely contributed to this fire.
Look forward to more fires, bigger and more difficult to contain.
Look forward to more fires, bigger and more difficult to contain.
7
I wonder how many animals....domestic and wild...died in this fire.
8
Educate yourself on the Tar Sands; this "enterprise" will eventually affect the entire planet (air, land/forests, water fowl, bodies of water).
Thank you to the Sustainable Guidance organization for this fair overview discussed by REAL SCIENTISTS and environmentalists (imagine that) Watch this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkwoRivP17A
Thank you to the Sustainable Guidance organization for this fair overview discussed by REAL SCIENTISTS and environmentalists (imagine that) Watch this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkwoRivP17A
3
The oil sands will not affect the entire planet! The amount of land disturbed by the oil sands projects is minuscule compared to the area of the boreal forest (smaller than the footprint of the city of Toronto).
A know anti oil sands activist, Dr. David Schindler, did a study of the water int he Athabasca River as it passes through the oil sands region. He was able to find a minuscule increase in some contaminates over the background (the bitumen naturally seeps into he Athabasca River upstream of the oil sands plants), and was forced to include in his summary for his paper presenting the results that the levels of the contaminants he found did not exceed drinking water guidelines.
Andrew Nikiforik is also an known anti oil sands activist, so the link is hardly worth paying heed to if you've watched any of the Greenpeace propaganda releases. Same old exaggerations and misleading information.
I would say it is you that should educate yourself. Get out o your echo chamber, use a bit of critical reasoning and read some of the information put out by the government and the industry. Unlike the environmental activist groups, these people are held to account if they lie or exaggerate. While it may put a bit of a positive spin on things, it is a lot closer t the truth than anything you will see from an activist group that has to create fear and panic to keep the donations coming in so they can pay the wages of their top people.
A know anti oil sands activist, Dr. David Schindler, did a study of the water int he Athabasca River as it passes through the oil sands region. He was able to find a minuscule increase in some contaminates over the background (the bitumen naturally seeps into he Athabasca River upstream of the oil sands plants), and was forced to include in his summary for his paper presenting the results that the levels of the contaminants he found did not exceed drinking water guidelines.
Andrew Nikiforik is also an known anti oil sands activist, so the link is hardly worth paying heed to if you've watched any of the Greenpeace propaganda releases. Same old exaggerations and misleading information.
I would say it is you that should educate yourself. Get out o your echo chamber, use a bit of critical reasoning and read some of the information put out by the government and the industry. Unlike the environmental activist groups, these people are held to account if they lie or exaggerate. While it may put a bit of a positive spin on things, it is a lot closer t the truth than anything you will see from an activist group that has to create fear and panic to keep the donations coming in so they can pay the wages of their top people.
I heard from several contacts today that the huge dead tree forest was the main causal factor for the enormity of this disaster. Why was that dead forest allowed to stand and not cut down? It appears that environmentalists were firmly opposed to "deforestation" of these trees. They were considered an "ecosystem"! Now how much of ecosystem is left?
5
Dr. Politics, you simply don't understand that the scale of the 'dead' (sic) forest is far beyond the 'management' abilities of he human species. So your anti-environmentalist argument is built on a false premise. But that's a characteristic of conservatives (and some others), to deflect their anger and guilt towards an innocent or irrelevant target.
9
Perhaps you need to read the comments above where a person decrying the "blight" of the oil sands says that every effort should be made to get this fire out to protect these forests.
There are many that do not know that the boreal forest has a short life, and needs to burn every 50 or so years to get rid of the deadfall and over mature trees. Has been happening since there was a boreal forest.
There are many that do not know that the boreal forest has a short life, and needs to burn every 50 or so years to get rid of the deadfall and over mature trees. Has been happening since there was a boreal forest.
This tragedy highlights why the previous government(s) at all levels (federal, provincial, municipal) were wrong to put all the eggs in the same tar sands basket, so to speak. Too many politicians and economists perpetuated the dogma that the tar sands were the only vital part of Canada’s economic interests and well-being. Instead of diversifying and shifting away from fossil fuels, they doubled down on what many people were pointing out was an economic and environmental tinderbox -- both literally and figuratively. Now, not only are the eggs all in one basket, but the basket is on fire.
14
Aren't you being overdramatic in saying "many of whom have lost all they own"? They have money in the banks, which are all safely headquartered in Toronto.
Incidentally, not a word about the responsibility of Alberta's socialist government in all of this. Presumably they will make good on everything to everyone, right? Right?
Incidentally, not a word about the responsibility of Alberta's socialist government in all of this. Presumably they will make good on everything to everyone, right? Right?
How exactly can a government in power for one year be responsible for a naturally-occurring forest fire? And yes, if initial government response is any kind of indicator, Premier Notley will make good her promises to help. What is being done for the 80,000 Ft Mac residents throughout Alberta is astounding!
6
Oh boy, blame socialists. Disgusting! Sharing is part of the solution, not part of the problem, and hoarding, exploitation, and waste is part of the problem.
4
Yep, unlike the Americans rather tepid and inferior response to Sandy and Katrina.
From what I've seen on social media, there are a ton of heroes in Fort Mac and the communities in Alberta who have taken them in. In spite of this terrible situation, a lot of goodness has been on display. A huge shout out to the people of Fort Mac and Alberta from your neighbours in Vancouver.
13
When are we oing to get any mention, any recounting at all of the thousands of beasts and birds displaced or killed in this fire?
8
Nature's hard kick intended to hurt the folks whose primary vocation is raping the land. I am sorry, I don't feel bad at all for these greedy folks.
2
Maybe you should draw up a short list of occupations that you find acceptable, so that way when something awful happens to me I can count on your sympathy.
5
I'm sorry that you're so lacking in empathy.
2
A whole lot of victim- and messenger-blaming going on here. The fire's severity isn't due to tar sands or the wrath of God. Climate change might be involved, but only to the extent that the fire season is months ahead of schedule.
The culprit, to the extent that there is one, is forest management policy. For years the Canadians, like the Americans, were putting out every fire they found. That allowed over-mature forests, lots of dog-hair thickets instead of open forest floors, and ample supplies of tinder to build up. Whether it was a lightning strike, a careless camper, or an arsonist, this was a disaster waiting to happen. It took a century of fire suppression for these conditions to develop; it will take several years of allowing fires to burn to restore natural conditions. I guess if you really want a culprit, Smokey the Bear is as good as any.
Harrison Salisbury wrote about the folly of fire suppression twenty-eight years ago, describing the Great Black Dragon Fire in Manchuria and Siberia (http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/01/opinion/the-breath-of-the-black-dragon.... But we didn't learn from that, or the Yellowstone fires of 1988, and we probably won't learn from this event, either. Which is too bad, because I have a friend in Ft. McMurray. Garth, if you're reading this, I hope you're OK.
The culprit, to the extent that there is one, is forest management policy. For years the Canadians, like the Americans, were putting out every fire they found. That allowed over-mature forests, lots of dog-hair thickets instead of open forest floors, and ample supplies of tinder to build up. Whether it was a lightning strike, a careless camper, or an arsonist, this was a disaster waiting to happen. It took a century of fire suppression for these conditions to develop; it will take several years of allowing fires to burn to restore natural conditions. I guess if you really want a culprit, Smokey the Bear is as good as any.
Harrison Salisbury wrote about the folly of fire suppression twenty-eight years ago, describing the Great Black Dragon Fire in Manchuria and Siberia (http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/01/opinion/the-breath-of-the-black-dragon.... But we didn't learn from that, or the Yellowstone fires of 1988, and we probably won't learn from this event, either. Which is too bad, because I have a friend in Ft. McMurray. Garth, if you're reading this, I hope you're OK.
20
Interesting story. Here's the link fixed (end paren deleted; for future posts, try leaving a space before and after the link to make it work):
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/01/opinion/the-breath-of-the-black-dragon...
It doesn't address the problem of overpopulation, oversettling, and the fire suppression that prevents the natural cycle of clearing out underbrush and tinder with smaller fires. There are other issues, but this is interesting.
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/01/opinion/the-breath-of-the-black-dragon...
It doesn't address the problem of overpopulation, oversettling, and the fire suppression that prevents the natural cycle of clearing out underbrush and tinder with smaller fires. There are other issues, but this is interesting.
3
Tragically ironic that a town built in part on the boom in oil extraction was destroyed by the environmental consequences of burning fossil fuel. This is the lesson the world should be learning and collectively finding other more environmentally sound energy sources, before its too late and there will be nowhere to flee.
3
Americans should LOVE Alberta - nobody pays taxes there, they basically print money in the good times, and people are free to consume and pollute as they see fit! It's the Texas of the north. Yee Yee!
6
This relates to the news story how?? Not sure which fairy-tale Alberta you're referring to, but as a resident, I don't recognize much in your description that fits the place I live. We may not have a provincial sales tax, but do pay the 5% Canadian Goods and Services Tax (and my income taxes are in the 30% range). I've been to Texas - no comparison.
11
Yeah sure nobody pays taxes -- except for the Canadian federal income tax (where the top 45% bracket kicks in at about a $90K salary) and the federal value added tax.
2
Don't forget the single-payer health care system and needing to complete a gun safety course before you can get a Firearms Acquisition Certificate.
You may also have to spend some effort to find the polluted environment.
You may also have to spend some effort to find the polluted environment.
2
These disasters are an act of God, but not in the sense of a punishment. God gave us free will. We freely decide to occupy areas that are in the path of water, wind, earthquakes, and fire. We play the odds. Alberta came out a loser, so to speak, by experiencing a once in 500 years event.
Homes in fire zones are at the mercy of the winds. We have a large number of people in low lying areas, playing the odds against wind, rain, and the tides. The coastal areas have a large number of structures that will be gone if a category 5 hurricane hits. And then there are all the buildings that will not withstand 6.0 or higher earthquakes.
Wake up! Nature, not God, seems to have a hot hand right now.
Homes in fire zones are at the mercy of the winds. We have a large number of people in low lying areas, playing the odds against wind, rain, and the tides. The coastal areas have a large number of structures that will be gone if a category 5 hurricane hits. And then there are all the buildings that will not withstand 6.0 or higher earthquakes.
Wake up! Nature, not God, seems to have a hot hand right now.
1
This reads like coverage of the day after Sodom and Gomorrah as printed in a good Christian newspaper.
2
Forest fire conflagrations are not new in Alberta as there is a vast amount of forest cover. Here is a detailed report from the 1968 forest fire season detailing the weather, the fuel supply and intensity of the burn.
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/bookstore_pdfs/23200.pdf
As far as global warming goes the topic appeared in my Science textbook in grade school back in 1960.
"...this is more than photosynthesis can cope with and scientists have computed that if combustion continues at the current rate, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air will be doubled in a century or so...,"and goes on in the next paragraph "The average rise in temperature as computed by meteorologists is not very great-only about 1.5 degrees C per century."
Page 135 Title: Basic physical science, [by] John C. Hogg [and] Judson B. Cross.
Publication info: Toronto, D. Van Nostrand [c1960]
Physical description: 282 p. ill., diagrs. 25 cm.
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/bookstore_pdfs/23200.pdf
As far as global warming goes the topic appeared in my Science textbook in grade school back in 1960.
"...this is more than photosynthesis can cope with and scientists have computed that if combustion continues at the current rate, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air will be doubled in a century or so...,"and goes on in the next paragraph "The average rise in temperature as computed by meteorologists is not very great-only about 1.5 degrees C per century."
Page 135 Title: Basic physical science, [by] John C. Hogg [and] Judson B. Cross.
Publication info: Toronto, D. Van Nostrand [c1960]
Physical description: 282 p. ill., diagrs. 25 cm.
8
I hope you are not trying to compare 1960'selected climate science to today's!
Oh, I think he was pointing out that this knowledge is not new, and we've been bypassing it for decades, while things got worse. Now we're paying the piper.
2
The Seattle Times reports this morning that 1600 buildings were destroyed in a community of 80,000 residents. If that is an Act of God, it is a pretty pathetic one.
I am ashamed of The Times for reporting this story in this way. To exaggerate the destruction in Fort Murrary to satisfy the sick needs of the environmentalist saturated Left is not worthy of what used to be one of the premier newspapers in the world.
I am ashamed of The Times for reporting this story in this way. To exaggerate the destruction in Fort Murrary to satisfy the sick needs of the environmentalist saturated Left is not worthy of what used to be one of the premier newspapers in the world.
4
Reports from fire officials this morning put the count at about 20% of the homes in the city destroyed - and they're still counting. Residents whose homes are still standing will not be able to get back into town for weeks until the fire is completely under control. This is fairly significant.
9
Reports of 1600 destroyed buildings is from FIVE days ago.
4
1,600 buildings burnt while the fire rages on and 80,000 have been evacuated, and you have the hubris to call it a "pathetic" Act of God, if it is even one at all? The only thing pathetic is your political take on the situation. Go sit in a corner while adults handle the fire.
7
The tar sands operations are in good shape and protected from forest fires by wide firebreaks and specially trained firefighters. Even though the likelihood of forest fires is well understood by officials, similar safety precautions were not done for the town of Fort McMurray where most of the tar sands workers lived. Fort McMurray is a typical boom town with poor-quality infrastructure and basic services.
5
The fire jumped a one-kilometre wide river before burning the worst-hit areas of town - there is no firebreak possible that would have stopped this. As the sibling of two firefighters working up there, one who's community was amongst the first to burn, your comment that they protected the oil industries and not the town is ignorant and insulting. The other thing that is not being reported to the media is that of the two people killed in the traffic fatality leaving the city, one was the daughter of the deputy fire chief. The "specially trained firefighters" did everything they could to protect the city, even with unimaginable personal loss.
"The fire jumped a one-kilometre wide river before burning the worst-hit areas of town - there is no firebreak possible that would have stopped this."
Embers from a fire like this can travel several km. The federal and provincial governments did investigate the feasibility of using firebreaks after the 2011 Slave Lake fire, and concluded that even a 2 km firebreak would have been ineffective.
My best wishes for the safety of your siblings.
Embers from a fire like this can travel several km. The federal and provincial governments did investigate the feasibility of using firebreaks after the 2011 Slave Lake fire, and concluded that even a 2 km firebreak would have been ineffective.
My best wishes for the safety of your siblings.
This excellent story includes an inadequate and misleading description of the forest around Fort McMurray: “…the surrounding woods of black spruce….”
Black spruce is indeed the most common conifer species in the region—covering about half of the landscape, mainly wetlands--but aspen poplar is the most common deciduous species and almost equally prevalent. Many of the fire photos show large numbers of aspen, which had just began to green up and were still leafless. The forest around Fort McMurray also includes significant stands of jack pine, many white spruce, and scattered balsam poplar and birch (especially in the river valley where the city is located; note that one of the neighborhoods is called Birchwood). The local sawmill runs almost exclusively on jack pine and white spruce, while the area pulp mill mainly processes aspen.
That’s probably more than can fit into a news article, but it would be better to say “surrounding forests of black spruce, aspen poplar and jack pine.”
To fully protect a town or city in the boreal forest, some experts believe it would have to be surrounded by a cleared swath about two kilometers wide.
Black spruce is indeed the most common conifer species in the region—covering about half of the landscape, mainly wetlands--but aspen poplar is the most common deciduous species and almost equally prevalent. Many of the fire photos show large numbers of aspen, which had just began to green up and were still leafless. The forest around Fort McMurray also includes significant stands of jack pine, many white spruce, and scattered balsam poplar and birch (especially in the river valley where the city is located; note that one of the neighborhoods is called Birchwood). The local sawmill runs almost exclusively on jack pine and white spruce, while the area pulp mill mainly processes aspen.
That’s probably more than can fit into a news article, but it would be better to say “surrounding forests of black spruce, aspen poplar and jack pine.”
To fully protect a town or city in the boreal forest, some experts believe it would have to be surrounded by a cleared swath about two kilometers wide.
23
"a city gushing with oil riches...?
Indeed, and along with it a growing "suburb" of nuclear - level destruction threatening to be as large as England if left unchecked. Perhaps more than anything else, Ft McMurray is the symbol of the change in the Canadian government, and it is now a lot like Sinjar - destroyed, if not by God, by the mind and hands of man. What is the common denominator? Oil.
Indeed, and along with it a growing "suburb" of nuclear - level destruction threatening to be as large as England if left unchecked. Perhaps more than anything else, Ft McMurray is the symbol of the change in the Canadian government, and it is now a lot like Sinjar - destroyed, if not by God, by the mind and hands of man. What is the common denominator? Oil.
12
The people of Fort McMurray should not be scorned for being connected to oil any more than the people of Lac-Megantic, Quebec did for suffering through a fire caused by an oil train. Best wishes to both as they rebuild their hometowns.
37
Many people here seem to see a direct (karmic?) link between Fort McMurray being an oil town, and this fire. There is none. Alberta experiences forest fires every summer, some of them quite massive - they are a natural and necessary occurrence. This one happened to be unusually close to a city, and the hot and dry weather conditions are making it especially difficult to control. Yes, there could be a link to climate change in the general sense that climate change increases the likelihood of "extreme weather events", but it's also just bad luck. As far as the tar sands - yes, it's a very dirty and inefficient way to produce oil - but the industry is a huge part of the Canadian economy in terms of jobs and revenue and there's nothing right now to take its place. I'd love for all of us to stop being dependent on fossil fuels but it's not that simple, is it?
65
Well-said! This was, unfortunately, a "perfect storm" of sorts - but mainly unrelated to the oil sands production. The response of Albertans and Canadians from across the country to those affected has been remarkable - enough to renew some faith in mankind.
3
Actually, yes: It is that simple. We must reduce our use of fossil fuels. I notice that the climate naysayers of the world often have this response to environmental problems. "It's a complex problem." "There are no simple solutions." To promote any kind of action, then, becomes simplistic or unrealistic.
What they really mean is, it won't be easy. It will require real sacrifice or change on their part. They will be inconvenienced. And of course, people don't like to be inconvenienced or less comfortable.
You note that the industry is "a huge part of the Canadian economy. . . and right now there's nothing to take its place."
That's because for the last thirty years, the response to calls to move our economy away from simply selling off our raw, natural resources has been, "it's not a simple problem." When what we really meant was, it's easier to just keep doing what we're doing.
What they really mean is, it won't be easy. It will require real sacrifice or change on their part. They will be inconvenienced. And of course, people don't like to be inconvenienced or less comfortable.
You note that the industry is "a huge part of the Canadian economy. . . and right now there's nothing to take its place."
That's because for the last thirty years, the response to calls to move our economy away from simply selling off our raw, natural resources has been, "it's not a simple problem." When what we really meant was, it's easier to just keep doing what we're doing.
It is as times like this one realizes what is really important. The response rom the government of Alberta and the government of Canada has been beyond reproach. The Canadian Red Cross, and the Canadian and population restoring much of the faith I had in humanity. I know Fort McMurray I know a few of her residents. The selflessness and stoicism is something that gives me hope for mankind.
I also know the forest around Fort McMurray it is May and that forest at this time of year is normally a swamp. Normally fire season is months away and temperatures are in forties and fifties during the day and often below freezing at night.
I left Alberta twenty years ago if someone had said then that forest fire season would begin in April they would have been treated as left wing pinko socialist alarmists and economic terrorists. Now they are just fellow Albertans helping to take care of the people of Alberta and their pets and helping to rebuild lives.
I also know the forest around Fort McMurray it is May and that forest at this time of year is normally a swamp. Normally fire season is months away and temperatures are in forties and fifties during the day and often below freezing at night.
I left Alberta twenty years ago if someone had said then that forest fire season would begin in April they would have been treated as left wing pinko socialist alarmists and economic terrorists. Now they are just fellow Albertans helping to take care of the people of Alberta and their pets and helping to rebuild lives.
25
Such a tragedy for these people. The raging fires are horrific to view. There is twisted progression and irony here. I suspect Mephistopheles is laughing.
2
Perfect. Now the Church of Climate Change can have it's very own Sodom and Gomorrah.
To the NYT and the addled commenters below - how is this coverage, how is blaming these people for this tragedy, any different from when Pat Robertson blames Katrina or some other natural disaster on the sins of the inhabitants? it isn't.
This just goes to show that the left is as irrational, judgemental, and as inclined towards magic and curse-wishing as some of the cracked up prophets and priests of the far right are. The only difference is that the mainstream right does a much better job of muzzling these opinions, and they would never appear in the pages of the Chicago Tribune or the Wall Street Journal.
This is disgraceful. And it shows just how much of a religion "environmentalism" is becoming. I put this in quotes because the movement isn't about the environment at all - it's an anti-progress, anti-industry, anti-growth, anti-blue collar movement fronted by people who spend next to no time outside of their precious gentrified consumer cult cities, and who know nothing about farming, ranching, mining, forestry, and anything that's done out of doors and away from a laptop.
To the NYT and the addled commenters below - how is this coverage, how is blaming these people for this tragedy, any different from when Pat Robertson blames Katrina or some other natural disaster on the sins of the inhabitants? it isn't.
This just goes to show that the left is as irrational, judgemental, and as inclined towards magic and curse-wishing as some of the cracked up prophets and priests of the far right are. The only difference is that the mainstream right does a much better job of muzzling these opinions, and they would never appear in the pages of the Chicago Tribune or the Wall Street Journal.
This is disgraceful. And it shows just how much of a religion "environmentalism" is becoming. I put this in quotes because the movement isn't about the environment at all - it's an anti-progress, anti-industry, anti-growth, anti-blue collar movement fronted by people who spend next to no time outside of their precious gentrified consumer cult cities, and who know nothing about farming, ranching, mining, forestry, and anything that's done out of doors and away from a laptop.
18
you can put your head in the sand and ignore climate change all you want. What you get is the type of forest fire and all the intense storms that are wrecking havoc in unprecedented ways around the world.
2
No, I don't think it's equivalent to Pat Robertson's blaming of Katrina on the residents of New Orleans. You have to think in terms of what the causal mechanisms are. Robertson supposed that God was punishing people for their behavior, and was punishing them by sending a hurricane upon them. Some on the left might think that something similar is happening in the case of the fire, so that God is punishing people for working in the tar sands, but I haven't seen evidence of that particular belief. (I haven't read all the way through the comments, though.)
It's more likely that people are pointing out that global warming contributed to this fire, and the people working in the tar sands are working in an industry which contributed to global warming. So in that sense there is some causal responsibility, just as there is human causal responsibility for the devastation of Katrina. (not for Katrina itself, of course, but for the devastation - the land use decisions that had been made, the state of the levees, etc.)
I myself wouldn't particularly blame the workers in the oil fields - they, as all of us, make decisions that seem the best for themselves and their families. But it's not wrong to point out the connection to global climate change, and the role of the tar sands in contributing to climate change.
It's more likely that people are pointing out that global warming contributed to this fire, and the people working in the tar sands are working in an industry which contributed to global warming. So in that sense there is some causal responsibility, just as there is human causal responsibility for the devastation of Katrina. (not for Katrina itself, of course, but for the devastation - the land use decisions that had been made, the state of the levees, etc.)
I myself wouldn't particularly blame the workers in the oil fields - they, as all of us, make decisions that seem the best for themselves and their families. But it's not wrong to point out the connection to global climate change, and the role of the tar sands in contributing to climate change.
5
As a card-carrying, college-educated, white-collar liberal who believes in caring for our environment, I staunchly reject your assertion that people like me blame the workers of Fort McMurray for this tragedy. Nor do I look down on blue-collar workers, progress, and industry -- I'm very proud that my late dad was a truck driver -- no one could whip a huge tractor-trailer into a tiny shipping bay like him -- and extremely grateful for the love, generosity and decency he and my mother instilled in me. I envy the skills of tradesmen and gladly pay for their services, because every
DIY project I've attempted has put me in the hospital. I'm also working hard to return manufacturing to the United States. Mother Nature caused this tragedy, and I hope both the US & Canada band together to help the victims reconstruct their lives without the resentment & hatred your post displays.
DIY project I've attempted has put me in the hospital. I'm also working hard to return manufacturing to the United States. Mother Nature caused this tragedy, and I hope both the US & Canada band together to help the victims reconstruct their lives without the resentment & hatred your post displays.
8
This is just another climate change disaster which continues to not be report as such. Add these folks to the millions of people around the world that will deal with climate caused challenges this year. Climate change is happening no matter what ones opinion is on the subject because in the end, opinions don't really matter.
12
We get lightening triggered forest fires every year and to date that is what is thought to be the cause of this fire. El Nino gave us a warm and very dry winter. Combine that we peat underground, dead trees from previous fires, etc. you have enough factors to have fed the fire. Bella, your lack of concern for the human tragedy that this fire has created is offensive.
1
This is a tragedy for thousands of good people, our friendly,, peaceful neighbors to the North. Please, can we leave the environmental aspect of tar sands out of it for five minutes and instead say a prayer for these hardworking people in their time of distress? God bless Canada, God bless all Canadians.
31
No one is blaming the citizens and hard working people. But to ignore the environmental tragedy of this event would be like pretending that NASA scientists did due diligence in their design for The Challenger that exploded. You might think it is too soon to point fingers but what do you think the people there are thinking? If it were me, I'd wonder about the whole enterprise, that tar sands exploitation - even if I were making a ton of money. I might take a second look and conclude, 'The game is up.'
As my sister and cousin were evacuating from the harrowing fire last Tuesday, my emotions were strong in hoping for their survival. Then thoughts went to their losses (sister's home is saved; cousin's is lost.) Then thoughts went to their jobs and starting over. Then thoughts to the impacts of the economy - both in Alberta and more broadly. But ultimately, my thoughts have been focused on the astounding love and support that Canadians have been giving to each other. Being in Edmonton this past weekend, it was moving to see all of the outpouring of care for the evacuees. Thank you Fort Mac-ites, Albertans and Canadians for the excellent example of how to treat your fellow human beings.
54
For those people claiming that this was an act of God, please remember that these were residential homes destroyed by a fire in one of the largest intact forests in the world. The forests across Northern Alberta and Northern BC are a natural carbon sink and essential to air quality of all of North America. No one should be happy about the destruction of an area of forest larger than New York City, especially not if you can about the environment.
The fire probably probably spread more quickly because of unseasonably warm weather (i.e. global warming). But cheering the destruction of homes will not keep the forest safe. The oil industry buildings are north of the city, not south, and the industry will restart as soon as oil prices rise. The workers will live in trailers instead of homes. So long as people are buying oil and natural gas, the industry will be selling.
Do you want to prevent the destruction of the forest? Stop driving, buy a hybrid, ride a bike. Stop using so much natural gas to heat your house (the other major product of the oil sands). Too many people act as though the workers involved in oil production are monsters that deserve to lose everything but they keep on consuming. Where do you think that fuel comes from? Solar? How do you think your house is heated? For most people, it's coal (i.e. electricity), natural gas, or oil.
If you care about global warming, hope that the fire-fighters stop this fire now.
The fire probably probably spread more quickly because of unseasonably warm weather (i.e. global warming). But cheering the destruction of homes will not keep the forest safe. The oil industry buildings are north of the city, not south, and the industry will restart as soon as oil prices rise. The workers will live in trailers instead of homes. So long as people are buying oil and natural gas, the industry will be selling.
Do you want to prevent the destruction of the forest? Stop driving, buy a hybrid, ride a bike. Stop using so much natural gas to heat your house (the other major product of the oil sands). Too many people act as though the workers involved in oil production are monsters that deserve to lose everything but they keep on consuming. Where do you think that fuel comes from? Solar? How do you think your house is heated? For most people, it's coal (i.e. electricity), natural gas, or oil.
If you care about global warming, hope that the fire-fighters stop this fire now.
65
Thank you!
2
Here! Here! Don't you just love all those holier than thou folks who demonize the oil industry or large corporations while they continue to be blind to their support of those very entities? Driving a Prius doesn't give you a pass to crank your home's AC all summer, or throw away your cell phone every year for the newest model.
The world will be changed only by individual commitment to living less wastefully.
The world will be changed only by individual commitment to living less wastefully.
These fires have been going on since there was a boreal forest. In order for the forest to be healthy, it needs to burn every 50 years or so to allow the pine cones to release there seeds and allow for new growth. These trees are not the sort that keep growing for hundreds of years.
Yes, but HOW exactly did the fire start? The fact (pun intended) that there is zero information on the initial cause of a fire that ended up decimating an entire town of 80,000 makes one suspect something is terribly wrong here.
9
When the woods are that dry, all it takes is a cigarette tossed out a window. One common cause of such forest fires is flammable debris like dry grass collecting around the hot muffler or catalytic converter of a vehicle and igniting.
13
I am wondering the same thing.
1
The responsible authorities don't know how it started, only where. Right now it's kind of academic because the government of Alberta is trying to contain the fire and care for its citizens. After it's all over, someone will probably look at it. But the size of the fire area makes it highly improbable they could find the proverbial ground zero.
3
This town should not be rebuilt. Tars Sands are what is causing irreversible climate change, bigger and drier fires, and extreme weather effects. Canada is starting to reap what it has sowed. If you do not see this as the future and what things will be like, then you are not seeing reality. The Oil sands are a nightmare. You have already destroyed millions of acres of tiaga forest and are pumping more and more oil out and into our atmosphere. Canada, you are turning into as bad or worse than the USA. Look at the future and stop this horrific mining of the TAR SANDS!
45
Paul - as you type from your computer, that contains plastics generated from oil, that is powered from energy that came from somewhere (wind?! sun?! doubtful), in your home that has stuff in it that was trucked/flown in from somewhere, eating food from California, you need to realize this is NOT Canada's fault, but the market demand - that's you and me - that bears it. We ALL bear the responsibility to limit consumption of everything that is dependent on oil. It's a journey we're on and educating each other helps. But diatribes toward a city and country are not the answer.
27
OK, but only when cities such as LA rip up their thousands of miles of freeways and start charging a carbon tax on your cheap US gas.
4
I would love if you would stick closer to home and worry about coal generated electricity and other generators of pollution. The oil sands in Alberta apparently contribute about 2% to total global warning but they have become the poster child for climate change. Facts get lost in hyperbole and emotions.
As an example, Leornardo di Caprio was in Alberta to film part of his recent film. He described experiencing warm winds that in a few hours melted snow and sent the temperature up. He claimed this was part of climate change. Unfortunately, he was blowing smoke because these warm winds are a natural occurrence that are the result of winds from the Pacific crossing over the Rockies and warming as they drop onto the prairies. They are called Chinooks and they are welcome relief from our winters. I don't know if anyone straightened Mr. di Caprio out on his lack of facts.
As an example, Leornardo di Caprio was in Alberta to film part of his recent film. He described experiencing warm winds that in a few hours melted snow and sent the temperature up. He claimed this was part of climate change. Unfortunately, he was blowing smoke because these warm winds are a natural occurrence that are the result of winds from the Pacific crossing over the Rockies and warming as they drop onto the prairies. They are called Chinooks and they are welcome relief from our winters. I don't know if anyone straightened Mr. di Caprio out on his lack of facts.
4
Sorry New York Times - the train for this story left the station days ago and apparently you weren't the least-bit interested in participating --
Over the weekend - as other sources were reporting on this story - I kept looking and waiting for the Times' coverage - which never appeared...
While there were the stories on the front page of the website about the final episode of "The Good Wife" - any coverage of this devastating tragedy was nowhere to be found -
As another commentor has mentioned - sadly, every day it's becoming more and more obvious that the New York Times is shifting its priorities in a direction which is moving it away as the once-venerable and go-to source for important news stories --
It's too bad - really...
Over the weekend - as other sources were reporting on this story - I kept looking and waiting for the Times' coverage - which never appeared...
While there were the stories on the front page of the website about the final episode of "The Good Wife" - any coverage of this devastating tragedy was nowhere to be found -
As another commentor has mentioned - sadly, every day it's becoming more and more obvious that the New York Times is shifting its priorities in a direction which is moving it away as the once-venerable and go-to source for important news stories --
It's too bad - really...
171
With all due respect, you can't have been looking that hard. The NYT has run literally dozens of stories on Fort McMurray since at least the middle of last week. Some of those were wire-services stories -- perhaps you don't count those -- but many were from their own reporters, one included shots from a Times photographer who went to the fire zone, and one was an opinion piece from a resident who'd had to flee.
As a Canadian, I often complain about the lack of coverage for Canadian issues and the general myopia of the NYT, but that's a baseless charge in this case.
As a Canadian, I often complain about the lack of coverage for Canadian issues and the general myopia of the NYT, but that's a baseless charge in this case.
30
@Howard G
You're incorrect. The NYT has published articles on the fire since May 4th.
You're incorrect. The NYT has published articles on the fire since May 4th.
24
We have to be careful about our thought processes as we work our way through this. It isn't a question of either-or. Yes, these forests will burn, naturally, climate change or not. That said, there are at least two important questions.
First, is it likely that climate change makes this particular situation worse? It's hard to see how it doesn't. The conditions in the Fort McMurray region have been described as "unseasonably hot" and "extremely dry" -- exactly what you'd expect in a warming climate.
While it is not possible to ascribe any particular weather or wildfire event to climate change, experts now speak of climate change biasing events in a particular direction. You sometimes hear the metaphor "loaded dice".
Secondly, we know that the boreal forest has been warming far faster than lower latitudes for a very long time. A 2005 Guardian article says that "western Siberia is heating up faster than anywhere else in the world." Siberia has been wracked by massive heat waves in recent years.
The second point gets to the question of whether we are witnessing merely the cyclic burning of the boreal forest, or the early stages of something far bigger and more ominous: A TRAFORMATION of a major biome, that encircles the globe, into something very different than what it has been. For example, models show the midwestern prairie biome moving far north, into Canada, in a warming climate.
For the boreal forest to be transformed into grassland or scrub, it first must burn.
First, is it likely that climate change makes this particular situation worse? It's hard to see how it doesn't. The conditions in the Fort McMurray region have been described as "unseasonably hot" and "extremely dry" -- exactly what you'd expect in a warming climate.
While it is not possible to ascribe any particular weather or wildfire event to climate change, experts now speak of climate change biasing events in a particular direction. You sometimes hear the metaphor "loaded dice".
Secondly, we know that the boreal forest has been warming far faster than lower latitudes for a very long time. A 2005 Guardian article says that "western Siberia is heating up faster than anywhere else in the world." Siberia has been wracked by massive heat waves in recent years.
The second point gets to the question of whether we are witnessing merely the cyclic burning of the boreal forest, or the early stages of something far bigger and more ominous: A TRAFORMATION of a major biome, that encircles the globe, into something very different than what it has been. For example, models show the midwestern prairie biome moving far north, into Canada, in a warming climate.
For the boreal forest to be transformed into grassland or scrub, it first must burn.
3
It’s tempting to pin a particular disaster on climate change - especially this one. But there are specific reasons for this fire.
(PLEASE NOTE: This is not to say that there is no connection between climate change and an increased number of fires in natural environments; rather, only that there are well understood causes for this fire that have nothing to do with climate change, per se.)
Alberta’s aging forest is putting communities at ever greater risk of wildfires, an expert committee on containing such fires warned the provincial government in 2012.
In 1971, more than half of Alberta’s boreal forest was deemed to be young, with about a third classified as immature, five per cent considered mature and a small portion deemed “overmature.”
By 2011 however, that had changed to less than 10 per cent young, about a quarter immature, more than 40 per cent mature, and more than 20 per cent overmature.
“Before major wildfire-suppression programs, boreal forests historically burned on an average cycle ranging from 50 to 200 years as a result of lightning and human-caused wildfires,” the panel said in a report released in 2012.
“Wildfire suppression has significantly reduced the area burned in Alberta’s boreal forest. However, due to reduced wildfire activity, forests of Alberta are aging, which ultimately changes ecosystems and is beginning to increase the risk of large and potentially costly catastrophic wildfires.”
http://bit.ly/1TxWLsk
(PLEASE NOTE: This is not to say that there is no connection between climate change and an increased number of fires in natural environments; rather, only that there are well understood causes for this fire that have nothing to do with climate change, per se.)
Alberta’s aging forest is putting communities at ever greater risk of wildfires, an expert committee on containing such fires warned the provincial government in 2012.
In 1971, more than half of Alberta’s boreal forest was deemed to be young, with about a third classified as immature, five per cent considered mature and a small portion deemed “overmature.”
By 2011 however, that had changed to less than 10 per cent young, about a quarter immature, more than 40 per cent mature, and more than 20 per cent overmature.
“Before major wildfire-suppression programs, boreal forests historically burned on an average cycle ranging from 50 to 200 years as a result of lightning and human-caused wildfires,” the panel said in a report released in 2012.
“Wildfire suppression has significantly reduced the area burned in Alberta’s boreal forest. However, due to reduced wildfire activity, forests of Alberta are aging, which ultimately changes ecosystems and is beginning to increase the risk of large and potentially costly catastrophic wildfires.”
http://bit.ly/1TxWLsk
22
A modern-day Gomorrah, utterly destroyed by fire. A Sign. A Biblical event. The Wrath of God, perhaps?
AGW goes full circle. Dig up filthy bitumen, called "oil sands". Transport, refine and sell it. Copiously burn it, like other fossil carbon fuels. Inject even more millions of tons of carbon waste gases into the atmosphere. Trap even more radiant heat. Raise atmospheric temperatures world-wide. Alter Earth's climate and weather patterns irretrievably, fundamentally. Create conditions favorable for massive conflagrations.
"If you build it they will come". We built and burned it, so it came. God's Wrath indeed. Take it as a warning (as if another was needed) that the Fossil Fuel Era that built our civilization is ending; because it must. If towns can burn people can, too.
AGW goes full circle. Dig up filthy bitumen, called "oil sands". Transport, refine and sell it. Copiously burn it, like other fossil carbon fuels. Inject even more millions of tons of carbon waste gases into the atmosphere. Trap even more radiant heat. Raise atmospheric temperatures world-wide. Alter Earth's climate and weather patterns irretrievably, fundamentally. Create conditions favorable for massive conflagrations.
"If you build it they will come". We built and burned it, so it came. God's Wrath indeed. Take it as a warning (as if another was needed) that the Fossil Fuel Era that built our civilization is ending; because it must. If towns can burn people can, too.
3
Do you live off the grid and not use any oil or oil based products in your life?
9
Nature is incredibly resilient. Canada's ecology in the tar sands has been shaped by the hand of such fires. But, there, just as here, man changes the natural equation critically. Fires like this used to be the greatest source of air-borne carbon, now they are a drop in the bucket compared to daily industrial output.
Man is tragic, persistent and resilient. But, we have proven again and again we put our job ahead of survival as a species. This is why we need governments that put our common well-being over special interests or the job of a coal miner or black tar sands worker. But the Bank of Canada and large bonded issues for pipelines and other infrastructure all underlie this mess along with our world dependence on carbon based energy sources.
The question should be posed how do we disentangle from this mess, not how do we rebuild it and double down. How can we reinvest in the restoration of nature instead of its continued destruction and our own?
Man is tragic, persistent and resilient. But, we have proven again and again we put our job ahead of survival as a species. This is why we need governments that put our common well-being over special interests or the job of a coal miner or black tar sands worker. But the Bank of Canada and large bonded issues for pipelines and other infrastructure all underlie this mess along with our world dependence on carbon based energy sources.
The question should be posed how do we disentangle from this mess, not how do we rebuild it and double down. How can we reinvest in the restoration of nature instead of its continued destruction and our own?
16
I think we can just feel sorry for these people, try to help them, and admire their grit. I don't think it's time yet to argue over whether, by being part of the oil industry, they brought about their own catastrophe. Right now, they need our help and support.
48
I mostly agree with your sentiments - the people do need help and support. But how soon is too soon to be discussing the role of the fossil fuel industry in climate change? The oil patch workers cannot really be blamed for going where the jobs are, but I would argue that we should have taken climate change more seriously when its physics and chemistry were first well understood, and steered our resources into different kinds of jobs; then, the effects of such a wildfire, had it occurred at all, would have been minimized. The KXL pipeline decision looks better all the time.
Yep, when it comes right down to it, just try for a moment to put yourself in the position of those people that may have lost everything in the process. Luckily, when it comes to resiliency, being helpful, volunteering, coming up with money, already 50 million and counting, make no mistake about it, Canadians take a back seat to absolutely no one on the planet.
1
I believe this should be seen how our friendly neighbor up north can cope with relocating a town of nearly 80,000 overnight. It would be logistical nightmare - and children and schools. Let's keep the climate issues aside for a moment. I hope we can help them. Canada is a beautiful country and it's people - warm and friendly. Is there way we can help?
33
See Globe and Mail article. Canadian government and Alberta government are both matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross for the Alberta fires.
11
"The Salvation Army: Alberta Fire Response" is also accepting donations.
I've heard on CBC radio that the Red Cross will be more helpful with long term strategies, and the Salvation Army is involved in a more immediate response.
My gratitude for any act of love, monetary or simple conversation, for the people of Fort Mac goes beyond words.
I've heard on CBC radio that the Red Cross will be more helpful with long term strategies, and the Salvation Army is involved in a more immediate response.
My gratitude for any act of love, monetary or simple conversation, for the people of Fort Mac goes beyond words.
2
My heart goes out to all who have lost. This is more question than comment. Has the "virulence" of this fire been fed - in any way - by the oil in ground? I have seen pictures of it being stip mined so it must be at the surface - is it making the fire more difficult? Maybe it has been addressed someplace - but i haven't found it.
3
I believe the answer is yes. The soil is oil rich, so for sure it's feeding this...according to my family from there. I also understand there's about a meter of undergrowth that will continue to harbor the fire for a long time unless there is a lot of moisture.
2
Complete nonsense. Fort Mac is in the middle of a huge forest and forest fire season happens every year. There is no oil burning from the ground - no correlation whatsoever. Just to be clear. Neighbouring BC (where I live) has the same issue (even now we have several out of control fires) and they are usually caused by lightning strikes. Oil has NOTHING to do with it.
3
The bitumen is mixed with sand and underground so it is not easy to catch fire - just as oil underground doesn't feed fires. The forests stretch for hundreds of kilometres out of Ft. McMurray. That combined with dead trees from prior fires, peat underground, underbrush, high winds, and little precipitation you have all that is needed for a fire to gain strength.
Trying to link these fires to climate change is disappointing in light of the human tragedy.
Trying to link these fires to climate change is disappointing in light of the human tragedy.
2
Despite Canada's reputation as a bastion of liberalism, the country's environmental record ranks as one of the worst in the world--due at least in part to the tar sands oil. While I hope the citizens of Ft. McMurray find work elsewhere, the rest of the world would be better off if the tar sands oil never left the ground.
72
How do you think you're living your life out in the desert of Arizona, Jim? Do you have any idea of where the water you drink, drenches your golf courses, fills your swimming pools comes from? Any idea how and what it takes to get to you?
23
Right, rape the earth and there will be consequences.
2
If you use air conditioning at all you are an environmental terrorist, Jim.
4
If you have not yet seen youtube videos of this massive fire, it's worth checking it out. The fire is absolutely monumental and far too many people were far too close, making for dramatic devastating video. Thank goodness thousands have not died. Best wishes to all who are affected.
19
More symbolic than that of the end of exploitation of fossil resources and it's crude reality.
5
I'm having trouble finding information about the condition of the forests around Fort McMurray before the fire. Dry, yes, but was there major insect damage and lots of dead trees? I don't know a lot about Canadian forestry practices around populated areas, but maybe the previous government wasn't willing to put money into good management. I assume that will change now.
3
The forests were highly combustible after very low snowfall and a very warm spring. Moreover, the deciduous species were more vulnerable because they had not yet greened up and leafed out. Fortunately, however, the insect infestations that have affected British Columbia and the U.S. Northwest have not yet reached northeastern Alberta.
5
Some good material about this in the comments. here's one:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/09/world/americas/fort-mcmurray-fire-cana...
Given the tragedy on display, it's not the best time to mention that there is no question that wildfire season is now longer, and this trend has been increasingly obvious to those not shutting it out, as we increase the heat and energy in the system with heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. Blaming people for making a living and getting on with their lives is mean-spirited.
It appears there is no good time to mention the steady (if bumpy) increase in extremes globally, but we will have to pay attention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/09/world/americas/fort-mcmurray-fire-cana...
Given the tragedy on display, it's not the best time to mention that there is no question that wildfire season is now longer, and this trend has been increasingly obvious to those not shutting it out, as we increase the heat and energy in the system with heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. Blaming people for making a living and getting on with their lives is mean-spirited.
It appears there is no good time to mention the steady (if bumpy) increase in extremes globally, but we will have to pay attention.
2
Good thing the pipeline wasn't carrying tons of oil down into the states. My heart goes out to the hard working people of Fort McMurray. I would like to know if oil was in any way a part of the extreme ferocity of this fire. If so, perhaps there are things to be learned to help prevent this kind of devastation in places like Fort McMurray.
5
No, it was a forest fire, not a fire that was fuelled by oil. It is climate change probably contributing to the extreme dryness of the forest since last year (as in California). Once a forest fire like this starts, there is not much that can be done to stop it during hot, dry, windy weather as experienced in Alberta the last weeks.
21
Oil had nothing to do with this fire. Fort Mac sits smack dab in the middle of the world's largest boreal forest and there is an annual forest fire season.
3
The New York Times' callous disregard of, uninterest in the huge and heartbreaking conflagration in Alberta for days and days absolutely puts any illusions of the New York Times being the "Newspaper of Record" to rest forever. You have wasted more ink and pixels on the likes of imbecilic GOP backstabbers, bus crashes in banana republics, Third World coup d'etats than the destruction of more than 1,600 homes and the dislocation of more than 90,000 people. Canada has been a good and loyal neighbor. Its people have stood shoulder to shoulder with this nation in war and peace. And not a word or report of this tragedy for days. Be ashamed, New York Times.
153
oh, nerts! This is the Times' 5th article, you just don't read until it's front page with pics!
14
At the risk of appearing to be a NYTimes lackey, but also as a regular reader for the last 6 decades, I find this post totally inaccurate and misleading. Do a "search" or google it. There are tons of stories. The Times has done a reasonably good job on telling the heart breaking story of this tragedy as it unfolded and as it continues to unfold. No one can not help but feel the anguish of these poor, devastated people.
23
Actually people don't read until there's a comments section. I get that. But please don't come at the Times for your own behavior, click bait addicts.
7
You cannot build a robust economy on one commodity ---as the Saudi's and others in the middle east are now finding out.
12
This is one city, not the entire economy of Canada! Honestly where do you people creep out from when the Times posts pictures?
18
Unfortunately, former governments - mostly in the 10 years of Conservative reign - DID peg Canadian economy to oil. Lots of people prospered, mostly very rich already. But the bubble burst. Too bad we don't have too many other strong economic engines - of the more sustainable kind!
1
No, actually, the overall commodity business in Canada at its height makes up roughly 12 percent of GDP. It is a case, again, of what is someones pain can be anothers gain. The drop in dollar somewhat related to the drop in oil price has actually substantially upped the activity of the more diversified economies in Ontario, Quebec and B.C. where, in some cases, due to an increase in exports, growth has been relatively stronger.
As with everywhere else, lower energy prices can be a boon to many, including some businesses.
As with everywhere else, lower energy prices can be a boon to many, including some businesses.
1
We should immediately stop taking oil from our lands. We should buy oil from middle east. Save our planet.
3
Well John, that's one interpretation. Or perhaps we could curtail our voracious, insatiable hunger to consume more energy even faster?
13
While I feel for the individuals and their losses I can not help but feel this is Divine intervention. The oil sands production process is a pox on an otherwise pristine wilderness area and Fort McMurray and it's BOOM economy have been dealt a slice of God's will.
5
Oil production in Alberta has now been cut in half. This will increase the cost of fuel for all of us and it will be Obama's fault.
Curious - have you been to this pristine part of the world? I have. It's massive and the industrial mining for oil is but small in the vastness of the area.
I'm glad I have a car to drive and the benefits of fuel in my life. I do my part to limit my use (walk, bus, reuse plastics, turn off electronics, don't run a/c, etc.) but I still depend on oil.
Curious - have you been to this pristine part of the world? I have. It's massive and the industrial mining for oil is but small in the vastness of the area.
I'm glad I have a car to drive and the benefits of fuel in my life. I do my part to limit my use (walk, bus, reuse plastics, turn off electronics, don't run a/c, etc.) but I still depend on oil.
8
I doubt your sincerity. You seem to be enjoying this too much.
The devastating natural disaster in Fort McMurray is “consistent” with climate change. As the planet continues to warm, these types of fires will likely only become more common and intense as spring snowpack disappears and temperatures warm.
In Canada, wildfire season now starts a month earlier than it used to and the average annual area burned has doubled since 1970.
the economic cost of just this one fire could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.
Scientists are also concerned about the vast stores of peat in the boreal forest that spans Alberta and other parts of Canada. That peat contains significant amounts of carbon and once it catches fire, it’s exceedingly hard to put out and can smolder for weeks or months. It can even survive winter cold to re-emerge in the spring.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/destructive-wildfire-near-cana...
In Canada, wildfire season now starts a month earlier than it used to and the average annual area burned has doubled since 1970.
the economic cost of just this one fire could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.
Scientists are also concerned about the vast stores of peat in the boreal forest that spans Alberta and other parts of Canada. That peat contains significant amounts of carbon and once it catches fire, it’s exceedingly hard to put out and can smolder for weeks or months. It can even survive winter cold to re-emerge in the spring.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/destructive-wildfire-near-cana...
84
A filthy resource: http://www.desmogblog.com/top-10-facts-canada-alberta-oil-sands-information
2
And yet our governments tell us it is too expensive to change over to renewable energy. I wonder what exactly will be the tipping point because these weather related disasters cost a fortune.
5
Ironic the epicenter of the Tar Sands "explosion" (no pun intended) becomes the latest in scorch earth.
If, as many of Founding Fathers thought, the Earth was/is alive (see Deists), she picked a very tempting target to heel herself through fire.
If, as many of Founding Fathers thought, the Earth was/is alive (see Deists), she picked a very tempting target to heel herself through fire.
2
Maybe I read this article too quickly, but I didn't see any connection between the fire--it's range and intensity and size--and the oil industry, the tar sands. Is there a connection, or was this fire just coincidence?
4
No connection at all. The town is notable because of the tar sands but that has nothing to do with the fire.
32
The area around Fort McMurray is a wasteland. The environmental destruction was allowed to go unchecked because the oil boom was just too tempting and fast for government to regulate the oil industry.
The tar sands use steam as one of the extraction methods which has impacted the ground water and the rivers. With not great forest maintenance, the lower river and aquifer levels, the abnormally light, warm winter, not a lot of snow to melt, you get disaster.
It is sad for the people and the town will come back once oil prices increase, but Fort McMurray will die as a town once the oil sands are depleted because it is a very remote area of Alberta. No other industry will have the clout or money to create enough jobs to support a whole community.
As well, once the tar sands industry has taken what it can, the environment will be too contaminated to make it worthwhile to stay. Already the native communities in nearby areas are finding high incidents of cancer and their food sources are sick as well. People have made a lot of money but at what cost.
The tar sands use steam as one of the extraction methods which has impacted the ground water and the rivers. With not great forest maintenance, the lower river and aquifer levels, the abnormally light, warm winter, not a lot of snow to melt, you get disaster.
It is sad for the people and the town will come back once oil prices increase, but Fort McMurray will die as a town once the oil sands are depleted because it is a very remote area of Alberta. No other industry will have the clout or money to create enough jobs to support a whole community.
As well, once the tar sands industry has taken what it can, the environment will be too contaminated to make it worthwhile to stay. Already the native communities in nearby areas are finding high incidents of cancer and their food sources are sick as well. People have made a lot of money but at what cost.
6
Have you been there? if you drive, it will take you 4.5 hours from Edmonton. Of that, you will spend about 2.5 hours driving through boreal forest that has not been touched by any oil sands activity. Then, when you get to Ft. Mac., you can pass through the oil sands development area in about an hour. North of that, the forest continues uninterrupted for another 1000+ miles. If you fly over, you will have to pay attention, because on a flight from Edmonton to Europe, you will spend about 4 hours over the boreal forest, but only about 10 minutes where you can see the oil sands mines.
On top of which, a known oil sands critic and Ph.D. at the University of Alberta tried to prove that the river was being contaminated by the oil sands operations, and could not. In his paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science he was forced to admit to only infinitesimal signs of any impact on the river flowing through the area, and also to conclude that the level of the chemicals he was looking for in the river did not exceed drinking water guidelines. So were are you getting this information about the river and the groundwater being contaminated? Provide some proof, and not from Greenpeace or others who have no consequences when they exaggerate claims.
On top of which, a known oil sands critic and Ph.D. at the University of Alberta tried to prove that the river was being contaminated by the oil sands operations, and could not. In his paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science he was forced to admit to only infinitesimal signs of any impact on the river flowing through the area, and also to conclude that the level of the chemicals he was looking for in the river did not exceed drinking water guidelines. So were are you getting this information about the river and the groundwater being contaminated? Provide some proof, and not from Greenpeace or others who have no consequences when they exaggerate claims.
2
Quick, someone blame Global Warming or Climate Change for starting the wildfire. Or the Koch brothers, they've got their hands into everything, especially since this raises the price of oil. Fait Accompli!
5
You just did.
2
Canada has experienced record-breaking heat just as much of the planet has in the past few years. This year is on track to beat last year’s record, and last year’s beat the record of the year before. Higher temperatures, lower humidity, disappearing snowpacks—all caused in part by global warming—create the perfect conditions for these megablazes. We can deny climate change if we choose to, but that will not stop these extreme wildfires and weather events across the globe. So instead of debating reality of human-induced climate change, we should be discussing how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the devastating impacts already in the pipeline. It's just common sense.
97
This is from a Scientific American article that Tyrell linked to below (helps to read some of the other comments before you talk): “This (fire) is consistent with what we expect from human-caused climate change affecting our fire regime,” Mike Flannigan, a wildfire researcher at the University of Alberta, said. There's more in the article if you're interested.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/destructive-wildfire-near-cana...
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/destructive-wildfire-near-cana...
19
The tar sands and Fort McMurray represent the ingenuity and grit of man. They will come thru this and be even more prosperous Hooray for them
4
In the quest to save mankind, I have to wonder if our ingenuity and grit will help to build a new green clean energy economy in time before the entire Planet Earth burns. We have to leave this formerly pristine ecosystem alone and leave the tar sands under the ground. Put the former tar-sands workers to work installing solar and wind.
As badly as I feel for the people impacted by this disaster, it is difficult not to view it as both warning and harbinger. If we continue to destroy nature in our quest for easy money, mature will, ultimately, get its revenge and destroy us.
57
If you want lessons, there are too many of us and we don't think or plan far enough ahead. We are about to hit our population limiters in global warming and related wars for resources. Doesn't really have to do with destroying nature so much as destroying ourselves. The earth has ways of limiting parasitic growth.
26
I am flabbergasted that the NY Times has barely covered the story of mass devastation in Alberta, mostly caused by the effects of global warming (drought and the oil sands industry pumping out carbon into the surrounding environment.) I also find it shameful that hardly any news is reported from Canada by the NY Times. I've been reading the NY Times for 25 years, and year by year it seems to be disappointing me more with its bias in national and international politics and news coverage.
79
As everyone knows, the effects of global warming extend far beyond Alberta. It's about time that the people who cause so many problems for the earth get to experience a bit of what they bring to others. The sad part is that these people are the pawns for greedy oil and gas people like the Koch Brothers.
5
You've just missed the previous four articles which all had titles focused on refugees from Syria, oil sands production and the weather.
6
really Tyrell.. 'it's about time that the people who cause so many problems for the earth get to experience a bit of what they bring to others' ... are you living any part of your life without oil and gas?
7
Ft. McMurray is Cree land. Once oil was found there, the Cree were pushed further and further north, where today they're confined to remote, under-serviced reservation towns. Meantime, the oil money pours into Ft. McMurray—as do big SUVs, big new homes, and a wide suburban roads. None of it is sustainable, and these kinds of decisions are precisely what contributes to the climate change that caused this fire. But in the end, what comes around goes around.
84
What comes around goes around? Unfortunately, no. The Cree lost out twice in this situation -- once when they were pushed out and once more when their original home was destroyed -- and the people who moved to the town had nothing to do with the Cree leaving.
4
No substantive comment as to how the fire was started? Reads more like a bad creative non-fiction piece about a sensationalized other than journalism. I guess that's what journalism has become in an election year from a corporate news source.
5
Read these 2 articles; one about wildfire data in BC, the other an Alberta academics opinion on the Fort McMurray fire cause. Although it is historic data for BC, I am sure it holds true for most parts of North America
http://bcwildfire.ca/history/average.htm: http://globalnews.ca/news/2684741/fort-mcmurray-wildfire-likely-caused-b...
I have actually witnessed a lightening strike starting a fire in Northern BC. The accompanying rain put it out, fortunately.
http://bcwildfire.ca/history/average.htm: http://globalnews.ca/news/2684741/fort-mcmurray-wildfire-likely-caused-b...
I have actually witnessed a lightening strike starting a fire in Northern BC. The accompanying rain put it out, fortunately.
7
Read one of the first four articles the Times posted. Geez, all these people who wait for pretty pictures on the front page to begin reading on a subject....
12
They have located the area where it started, but haven't finished the investigation on what the cause was yet. Considering the extreme circumstances, quite understandable.
7
There's an easy dose of schadenfreude on hand from watching the capital of tar-sands getting symbolically hoisted by it's own petard. The flip-side is the tragedy of a vanishing opportunity for people that achieved some security and success in a world where that can be hard to come by. Fort McMurray contained a mix of people from Canada and around the world who were allowed to achieve something in their personal lives that was hard to find anywhere else. Here's hoping they come out of this OK, but the exploitation of the tar-sands really needs to end, for the sake of the planet and everybody on it.
127
And to think many of those same people could be working profitably on green energy...
2
Canada doesn’t register on CNN or other news network broadcasts because we are an afterthought to election coverage. We shouldn’t be surprised at this, after all, even weather reports seldom show Canada at the top of the maps used in the broadcasts; the American-Canadian boarder, the 49th parallel, appears to be the top of the world on American television.
The Fort McMurray story should catch the attention of Americans because forest fires like this happen there too more often than they happen here and the economic costs that are shouldered by insurance companies prompt those companies to look for ways to limit their financial exposure in future events like this.
Americans and Canadians need to be concerned that insurance companies, as a consequence of the Fort McMurray fires and others will raise premiums and deductibles, and may decline coverage in regions prone to these large fires. We have already noticed changes to auto and property insurance coverage in Ontario.
Governments do regulate the insurance industry, and the rules can vary from province to province but, under the guise of ‘reducing premiums,’ insurance companies are reducing liabilities. So far, governments are allowing companies to do this but, as our part of the planet becomes dryer and warmer, insurance companies may look ahead to reduce what they perceive as losses even before events like Fort McMurray arise.
The Fort McMurray story should catch the attention of Americans because forest fires like this happen there too more often than they happen here and the economic costs that are shouldered by insurance companies prompt those companies to look for ways to limit their financial exposure in future events like this.
Americans and Canadians need to be concerned that insurance companies, as a consequence of the Fort McMurray fires and others will raise premiums and deductibles, and may decline coverage in regions prone to these large fires. We have already noticed changes to auto and property insurance coverage in Ontario.
Governments do regulate the insurance industry, and the rules can vary from province to province but, under the guise of ‘reducing premiums,’ insurance companies are reducing liabilities. So far, governments are allowing companies to do this but, as our part of the planet becomes dryer and warmer, insurance companies may look ahead to reduce what they perceive as losses even before events like Fort McMurray arise.
132
I dare say countries outside of Canada should pay attention to this event - but for many more reasons than the hike in insurance rates!
For one thing: Canada is a neighbor of the USA, and we are more than a little connected, don't you think? US problems concern us, and it would nice if that concern were reciprocated.
I am so fed up feeling as if we are some kind of afterthought, the bastion of hockey and British spellings, not much else. Oh, and now a cute PM! ;)
For one thing: Canada is a neighbor of the USA, and we are more than a little connected, don't you think? US problems concern us, and it would nice if that concern were reciprocated.
I am so fed up feeling as if we are some kind of afterthought, the bastion of hockey and British spellings, not much else. Oh, and now a cute PM! ;)
1
Why do care for one second what Americans think?
Doesn't it seem reasonable that insurance companies would raise their rates for folks who choose to live in unsafe areas? Whether they choose to live by the rising ocean for vacation or live in a forested area so they can make lots of money, why should the rest of us, who pay to be insured by the same company, subsidize the choices of those who choose to live in risky areas?
Wondering about the huge tar sands ecological wasteland, a crime against the planet wrought by man, and now this mammoth wildfire. I bet it's all linked. We'll see more of these disasters, as long as we keep destroying what nature made.
121
Since 80 to 90 percent of the CO2 from a b barrel of oil comes from the end user, if you want to say this is manmade due to CO2 emissions, shouldn't you blame the actual polluters? Since the US has increased it's oil output by 5 million barrels per day since 2010, and the oil sands only produces 2.5 million barrels a day, the US is responsible for significantly more CO2 emissions than the oil sands. Since CO2 is CO2 no matter which country it comes from, it would seem that, if we want to start pointing fingers at those responsible, the people of Ft. McMurray can point fingers at the US for generating significant CO2.
1
"huge tar sands ecological wasteland" - have you never heard of reclamation? Yes, the open pit mines are an eyesore for a time, but there are strict regulations concerning reclamation and the land will be returned to close to its original state. When will Pittsburgh be returned to its original state?
It's also worth pointing out that the area affected by the mines is a tiny fraction of the Northern Canadian wilderness. Most oil sands production is now by in-situ methods, which require only minor clearing.
It's also worth pointing out that the area affected by the mines is a tiny fraction of the Northern Canadian wilderness. Most oil sands production is now by in-situ methods, which require only minor clearing.
I've been wondering when the Times would get around to covering this huge story. For days it's been just a footnote, sometimes barely even mentioning an article amidst the endless Trump minutiae.
You've got an entire Canadian city of over 80,000 people destroyed by what might be global warming's impact. This is a big deal and is much more important than who snapchatted whom about what hashtag.
You've got an entire Canadian city of over 80,000 people destroyed by what might be global warming's impact. This is a big deal and is much more important than who snapchatted whom about what hashtag.
326
THANK YOU for pointing this out, I was beginning to wonder if I was nuts for finding the absence of Fort McMurray from the front page completely bizarre, not to mention shameful.
41
They've been sort of tinkering around the edges covering it. See here: RELATED COVERAGE
Fort McMurray Fire Begins to Ease as Weather Cools MAY 8, 2016
Refugees From Syria Among the Thousands Who Fled Canadian Fire MAY 7, 2016
Canadian Wildfires Curtail Oil Sands Production MAY 5, 2016
Evacuated From Canada’s Wildfires but With Nowhere to Turn MAY 5, 2016
Fort McMurray Fire Begins to Ease as Weather Cools MAY 8, 2016
Refugees From Syria Among the Thousands Who Fled Canadian Fire MAY 7, 2016
Canadian Wildfires Curtail Oil Sands Production MAY 5, 2016
Evacuated From Canada’s Wildfires but With Nowhere to Turn MAY 5, 2016
6
Maybe now that the Russians have offered their big waterbomber to help put The Beast down there will be a little more interest in the US, which, along with Australia and Canada has long since rejected the airplane.
2
The Canadian and Alberta governments are matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross, for any NYT readers who would like to help. Google the Globe and Mail article How You Can Help Ft McMurray fire.
66
One reason from this article for such wrath being wreaked upon Earth is the part about the presence of a strip club, that presence giving a thumbs-up to all manner of sexual misconduct.
1
LOL. The real driver of "wrath", or as I see it "entirely predictable results of climate change caused by excessive burning of carbon such as tar sands", is so many people's stubborn clinging to to beliefs in the face of contradictory facts.
15
I would laugh, but your moniker gives me pause. Please put a sarcasm tag in your posts. This has been a public service announcement, thank you.
6
Please, this region is hardly 'gushing with oil riches'! It's called tar sands for a reason, getting usable oil takes massive amounts of energy and water, and also releases huge amounts of C02 and other pollutants. All of which are contributing the problem of climate instability and likelihood of catastrophic fires like this one.
243
Sheer nonsense, unsupported by any actual data!
5
Incred,
The real name for this toxic tar sludge is dilbit, diluted bitumen. A synonym for bitumen is asphalt. It is chock full of benzene a known carcinogen. It takes 21 gallons of this sludge to make one gallon of liquid fuel.
Not for nothing are the eco terrorists of Koch Propaganda, Sedition & Pollution one of the largest investors in this toxic sludge.
The real name for this toxic tar sludge is dilbit, diluted bitumen. A synonym for bitumen is asphalt. It is chock full of benzene a known carcinogen. It takes 21 gallons of this sludge to make one gallon of liquid fuel.
Not for nothing are the eco terrorists of Koch Propaganda, Sedition & Pollution one of the largest investors in this toxic sludge.
97
For a guy, that's sitting in front of a computer, JeffP, why don't you google up a few inconvenient facts. Here, it took me all of 6 seconds to get you a link: http://www.desmogblog.com/top-10-facts-canada-alberta-oil-sands-information
I'll be polite, and omit further comments regarding your lack of intellectual initiative.
I'll be polite, and omit further comments regarding your lack of intellectual initiative.
15
How heartbreaking to imagine the loss.........
The people of Fort McMurray are clearly a resilient bunch with grit. It takes real determination to move somewhere like that in order to advance financially.
That, alone, makes me hopeful for their future....these folks are inherent survivors!
I am incredibly sorry for the loss of their homes, communities and memories, I want them to know that I have faith in their future. We will pray for you, for sure, but we know they are the sorts of people well equipped to rebuild and that, at the very least, is one small blessing.
The people of Fort McMurray are clearly a resilient bunch with grit. It takes real determination to move somewhere like that in order to advance financially.
That, alone, makes me hopeful for their future....these folks are inherent survivors!
I am incredibly sorry for the loss of their homes, communities and memories, I want them to know that I have faith in their future. We will pray for you, for sure, but we know they are the sorts of people well equipped to rebuild and that, at the very least, is one small blessing.
101
I at first read "We'll PAY for you," rather than "We'll PRAY for you." Which would the citizens of Fort McMurray rather read I wonder. One has no choice but to be cynical when a news source like this one ignores a story that will eventually engulf us all financially and in terms of life itself. And this very sweet piece of dismissive optimism is the Time's choice for gold star when so many other comments portend the genuine long-term consequences. GWE may mean well, but the fact that the editors happily approve of shining the whole thing off with a platitude speaks dire volumes of admonition.
6
My point was that it takes a certain kind of resilient personality to move to a place like Ft. Murray in search of financial betterment. That sort of personality is the type to deal with adversity, to make hard choices and they tend to pull themselves up by their bootstrap. I wanted to remind them that the same strength that got many people to move there will help them rebuild.
I also acknowledged, as I do now, that it is one SMALL blessing. I am not really sure what else would have worked for you short of my offering to clean up the mess--which I would but I am rather far away. I offered these people the only two things I had at my disposal: my admiration for their grit and my empathy.
I also acknowledged, as I do now, that it is one SMALL blessing. I am not really sure what else would have worked for you short of my offering to clean up the mess--which I would but I am rather far away. I offered these people the only two things I had at my disposal: my admiration for their grit and my empathy.
1
http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/despite-ocean-of-fire-that-ra...