Customer Reviews

Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Very probably one of the best books ever written about Alberta's Energy Industry.
Ezra Levant deserves the ORDER OF CANADA.
I say that as this industry has been whiplashed by pseudo-experts and charlatans and fake writers like NIKIFORUK and MARSDEN supported by the CBC in its continuing left wing agenda.
Levants book is a BIG breath of fresh air into this agenda.
Notably the CBC have minimised its impact but fortunately SUNMEDIA has picked it up.
EZRA has focussed on the BEEF of the issue and avoided the propaganda trap that others have fallen into.
THIS IS 5 -STAR STUFF.

Phillip Martin, PhD, MSc.

Ethical Oil is an Oxymoron. This is a book by a Corporate Shill for thr most unethical energy source on the Planet. Be warned/do not support evil.

This book is a real eye-opener. Even if you don't agree with the conclusions, the information presented in the book is important for Canadians to be aware of. Some have ridiculed the notion of 'Ethical Oil' by focusing specifically on environmental issues and also on the Canadian context. Levant challenges these people to think somewhat more broadly (world context) and also to think in practical terms -- that dependence on oil is not going away any time soon regardless of what happens in Canada's oil patch. Similarly, Canada's policies regarding 'climate change' will have no impact on global warming, given our very minor contribution of CO2. Levant's statistics make this clear. My sense is that Levant's challengers are left spouting platitudes, rather than being able to effectively counter his arguments.

Some important questions addressed by Levant include the question of exactly how much pollution is being created by the oil sands operations (very little according to Levant) and how transparent is the environmental movement in its attacks on the oil sands? There is lots to learn about the agenda, practices and funding sources of 'Big Environment' groups like Greenpeace and the various "ethical" investment funds. I have recently (and yet again) seen commentary suggesting that there is an increased incidence of cancer linked to the oil sands, but this situation is debunked by Levant, complete with footnotes backing up his case.

Many anti-oil-sands lobby groups have not bothered to update their talking points, and Levant brings us up to date. He also informs us of many new developments aimed directly at increasing the environmental aspects of oil sands development. And we learn about the overwhelming influence of the Saudi lobby in the States, and the degree to which Canadian oil has taken away from the Saudi's market share in the states. There clearly are a lot of agendas in play.

Levant is careful to document all of his claims. He may (or may not) be comprehensive in addressing the issues that we need to think about as he makes the case for 'ethical oil', but his book is a major contribution to the public understanding of the issue. Any thinking person should read the book before drawing any conclusions about what needs to be done regarding development of the oil sands.

As he often does, Ezra Levant has hit the ball right out of the park and, in this case, right into the next country. This is a MUST READ for everyone in Canada and the USA as it sheds a whole new light on the oil sands industry, a light that is very well researched (and documented) and very logically and intelligently presented.

He tramples the myths that oil from the oil sands is dirty and bad and illustrates well how the technology has matured and improved over the last few years. And he shows in no uncertain terms the horrific costs to the democratic world if the oil sands were to be shut down.

Please read it then pass it on!

Ezra Levant's book, Ethical Oil, certainly deserves the praise and awards it has received to date. It's quite a feat to be able to make such a supposedly dry and technical subject so interesting, entertaining, and often fascinating. The writing style manages to be both precise and factual, yet dynamic and conversational. I learned a tremendous amount from reading this book. Kudos to the author for providing such important information not just to Canadians, but also to the rest of the world.

Ethical Oil stands to reason. It is honest and forthright about the problems behind the oil sands but also underlines the economic good Alberta Oil sands adds to Canada, the US, and potentially the world's economies. The environmental standards that the Alberta Oil Sands adhere to are the highest in the world as far as I have researched in this book and beyond it.
It also exposes the hypocritic greed behind many of the environmental groups lobbying so hard against the oil sands, and the billions in donated money these groups are able raise in doing so. Money - not environmental protection - appears to be the motivating factor behind many high profile "save the world" organizations. I have nothing but praise for this book and great admiration for Erza Levant who had the courage to pen it.

Quest

Ezra ably makes the point that Oil Sands (called Tar Sands by those who take a negative view) are a much more environmentally and ethical source of energy than those of the Middle East and many other sources. It is about time that the facts be laid before the public and the press which is so anxious to paint the Oil Sands in an ugly color, without looking more closely at the facts, and above all at the motives of those who are critical. There is abundant hypocrisy among these critics and Ezra rightly lays this out. His views are well supported and hard to refute. Even our CBC seems to have been taken in by some of the unsupported rants of these critics that are not based on facts. This is a must read for all interested in the ethics of oil production and consumption.

If I wrote my own blog, this book would capture everything that I would want to say. Canadians should be very proud of the tremendous resource that we have, and of the way we are developing that resource. It was very interesting to learn about how aggressive the Saudis are in lobbying the US government. While I believe that every Canadian should read this book, it is probably more important that every American read it.

After reading this book I feel so much more informed about the Alberta Oilsands, and also how it stacks up with other major oil producing countries not only environmentally but politically.
The Oil Sands are not even close to being a environmental disaster as Greenpeace would lead us to believe and my perspective is not so negative when I talk to others about this issue.
This book informs you about the global perspective of oil production and the many players like Greenpeace that want to ill inform you at all costs.