Page 146 - Carbon Capitalism and Communication Confronting Climate Crisis

136 P. McCURDY

environmental NGO (eNGO) Pembina asserts, “Oil sands are the
fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada” (Dyer et al.
2013). Moreover, oil sands GHG emissions are projected to increase by
124% from 2010 to 2030, rising from 64 megatons to 115 megatons
(Fekete 2016).
With the planet on the precipice of climate calamity, environmental and
climate change campaigners have zoomed in on the projected increases in
oil sands production and emission as a political, symbolic and discursive
opportunity to discuss climate change and tie the issue of oil sands pro-
duction to our unsustainable carbon-based lifestyles. Early campaigning
against Alberta’s bitumen sands involved “image events” (Deluca 1999)
such as banner drops at open pit bitumen mines and symbolic protests in
front of or even inside oil-related political events and conferences.

IMAGE EVENTS AND MEDIATED WITNESS
In his book Image Politics, Kevin Deluca looks at the rise of “image events”
as a form of political expression used by environmental organizations.
These interventions, which operate as “staged protests designed for media
dissemination” (Delicath and Deluca 2003, p. 1), have been studied in the
context of, among others, anti-globalization protests (McCurdy 2011) and
climate change campaigning (Greenberg et al. 2011; Askanius and Uldam
2011; Doyle 2011).
Many early protests against the oil sands took the form of image events.
Fittingly, it was Greenpeace Canada who seemed to be the most active in
early tar sands protests. Fitting because it was Canadian Bob Hunter who
founded the edgy eNGO and who is credited with inventing the idea of
“media mind bombs” (Hunter 2004; Zelko 2013); protest actions
designed to capture the media’s attention and public’s imagination.
Whether referred to as mind bombs or image events, this tactic is
underwritten by a logic of bearing witness but with a media mindfulness.
An early example from tar sands contention is Greenpeace’s unfurling of a
banner on April 23, 2008 during Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach’s annual
Premier’s Dinner at the Shaw Center in Edmonton, Alberta. A Greenpeace
video of the incident posted on YouTube shows an activist suspended from
the conference center rafters unveiling a black fabric banner. In frame,
alongside the activist is a giant television screen showing Premier Stelmach
thanking the crowd for their applause (Greenpeace 2008b). Eventually the
attention of both media and security in the Shaw Center turn to the