IMMIGRATION EQUALS TARSANDS FOR GREENHOUSE GASES IN FOUR YEARS: by Brishen Hoff

"In 2007, Canada admitted 429,649 permanent residents, temporary foreign workers and foreign students." (1)

"Canadians are also among the highest per capita polluters in the world, producing an average of 23 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per person each year." (2)

429,649 immigrants MULTIPLIED BY 23 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions EQUALS 9,881,927 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases directly from immigration annually.
"Annual greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands plants in 2007 are expected to be 39.3-41.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent." (3)

So how many years of allowing 429,649 immigrants into Canada would equal the tarsands in greenhouse gas emissions?

41.4 million metric tonnes DIVIDED BY 9.9 million metric tonnes EQUALS 4.18 years!
Therefore, there is a new tarsands worth of greenhouse gas emissions added to Canada every 4 years.

In other words, 1 year of Canada's current immigration intake produces 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions as 1 year of the tarsands.

(1) http://www.migratenow.ca/articles/127.asp
(2) http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/04/22/tech-canada-greenhouse.html
(3) http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/tarsandsfaq#4

Thanks to Tim Murray (http://sinkinglifeboat.blogspot.com) for this comparison idea.
You can read his full article: CLICK HERE