Documentary shows biomass impact
Mahone Bay was the latest community to host a showing for a documentary on the impacts of the biomass industry.
The documentary, Burned:
Are Trees the New Coal, was shown at the Mahone Bay Centre, located at 45 School St., on Friday, Nov. 9. A discussion was held afterwards where attendees had the opportunity to discuss solutions to the issue.
The event was hosted by the South Shore Chapter of the Council of Canadians in partnership with the Ecology Action Centre.
The film discussed the impact of the global biomass industry, a type of fuel that is classified as renewable energy according to the Natural Resources Canada website.
“The real theme of the film is that biomass is being presented to us by the industry and they have convinced our political leaders that it’s a ‘green energy’ and it’s a ‘green alternative’ to fossil fuels,” said Marion Moore, cochair of the Council of Canadians South Shore Chapter. “The policy is that they don’t count the carbon emissions released when it’s burned so it’s false accounting and false representation as green energy.”
The discussion following the screening was led by Raymond Plourde, wilderness co-ordinator of the Ecology Action Centre. One of the aspects Moore said she appreciated about the discussion was Plourde had concrete ideas with how to deal with the issues highlighted in the film.
“We were very grateful to him for that because we don’t have the background or expertise that he does, so it was really excellent that he could be there to provide us with not only more information, but also suggestions for what we can do,” she said.
Moore said the event brought a diverse crowd, attracting more than 100 attendees from various backgrounds.
“Many of them were people who do not generally come to our events, there were people who [were] there certainly because of the topic. There were woodlot owners there, environmentalists as well as just members of the general public, as well as our own supporters.”
The Ecology Action Centre purchased the screening and is showing it across the province, their most recent showings were held in Annapolis Royal on Sunday, Nov. 18 and another in Centre Burlington on Thursday, Nov. 22.
The Council of Canadians often works with the Ecology Action Centre on projects such as this, as both environmental groups have similar stances on a lot of issues facing Nova Scotians, such as offshore drilling.
“Over the years, we’ve dealt with the same issues that the Ecology Action Centre has deals with, so we have often worked together,” said Moore.
The Council of Canadians also hosted another film screening in Lunenburg on Tuesday, Nov. 27 called Sonic Seas, which was about the effects of noise pollution in the ocean.