“It is horrific to see how ecosystems, communities and many species of animals are being destroyed in a last push to extract Canadian tar sands,” said Sparrow. “I wanted to make sure that as decision-makers met today to undermine climate legislation in the EU, to push forward with this brutal form of extracting energy, that they could not escape the image of the horror and devastation that their reckless decisions are causing.”

The giant felt work blocked three entrances of Canada House as ministers and industry representatives from Shell, Enbridge and others arrived. It depicted in graphic detail the devastating impacts that the Canadian tar sands extraction is having on ecosystems in Canada that communities rely on. “As the communities downstream from the Alberta tar sands we are seeing the felt impacts of the tar sands daily. We are seeing elevated levels of cancer and auto-immune diseases in our communities and our water is no longer safe to drink,” said Jesse Cardinal from the Keepers of the Athabasca. “With more and more of these ecosystems being decimated and water systems being polluted, animals and fish that the community rely on are presenting with tumours and being pushed to extinction. Our future as a people is hanging in the balance.”