The 'Most Destructive Project on Earth'

"The federal government has allowed Alberta's oilsands to become the 'most destructive project on Earth' by failing to impose the required environmental restrictions, an environmental group says in a report released Friday in Ottawa."

"'Canada's progress on global warming is being held hostage by the tarsands,' the Environmental Defence report says, adding that the tarsands are "ground zero" for global warming because of the precedent they set for the rest of Canada."

"The Environmental Defence report says the oilsands negatively affect much of the country through polluted water and air in Alberta, acid rain in Saskatchewan and harmful emissions from refining in Ontario."

"'There's nowhere else on Earth that we're talking about destroying an area the size of Florida,' said Matt Price, program manager with Environmental Defence, at a news conference. 'There is nowhere else on Earth where you have toxic ponds that are so big that you can now see them from space.'"