The Pew Charitable Trusts ("Pew") is one of the largest charitable foundation's in the United States. In its annual report for 2011, Pew reports that it has $4.9 billion in assets that originated from the founders of Sun Oil, an American oil company.
Pew recognizes boreal forests and the need to protect them in Russia, South America, Indonesi and Africa but the place where Pew is investing more far more money than anywhere else, is Canada.
Pew considers that about 60 percent of the entire national territory of Canada is boreal forest. Of that, 12 percent is already protected by Canada. For Pew, however, that's not enough.
Since Canada has the world's largest temperate rainforest and the world's largest boreal forest, global interest is natural. But lets not forget, Canada's forests are also home to some of the world's largest deposits of energy and minerals. This fact is not lost on Pew. In fact, some of Pew's grants for the Canadian Boreal Initiative are titled, "British Columbia mining."
Pew isn't the only American foundation that is funding the "reform" of mining in British Columbia. Pew's "reform" of B.C. mining is funded both directly and indirectly. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation paid Pew $710,000 in 2008 and a further $1.3 million in 2011 for "British Columbia mining reform." Both grants were to support First Nations. The grant for $1.3 million was for "the direct engagement and participation of affected First Nations communities in key decisions."
Pew has granted $15 million for a marine research project at the University of British Columbia. This project is called Sea Around Us and is led by Dr. Daniel Pauly, a celebrity scientist who often appears in the media. But according to my analysis of Pew's on-line database, not one single grant has been made to address the pine beetle, the single most serious problem afflicting Canadian forests. B.C.'s pine beetle-infested forests aren't even on the map of forests of concern to Pew (shown to the right).
According to Pew's on-line database, since 2000 Pew has spent at least $57 million for the Boreal Forest Initiative in Canada.
Pew: For or Against the Development of Alberta Oilsands?
In an op-ed published in The Vancouver Sun, Foreign Funding Skews Oil Debate, I wrote that Pew is one of the American foundations that is heavily funding the campaign against Canadian oil. Pew disputed this fact in letter published in The Vancouver Sun. Pew went so far as to call my statement a "false charge." I disagree with Pew that my statement about Pew is a false charge. Here's why:
As summarized in the table below, Pew has paid a total of $57 Million for the Canadian Boreal Initiative. That included $11.2 million in 2009 that was specifically ear-marked for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign (IBCC) ($6.1 Million, $4.4 Million and $710,000).
The IBCC's position with regards to the Canadian oil industry is outlined in a brochure titled, "Canada's Tar Sands." This brochure calls for a moratorium on new tar sands leases and project approvals.
According to the Canadian Boreal Forest Conservation Framework which outlines the principles of the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) that Pew has funded to the tune of $57 million, the CBI calls for fully 50 percent of the boreal forest of Canada to be set aside in parks and protected areas. "New protected areas should exclude industrial development such as logging, mining, hydro, new roads, and oil and gas," says the Canadian Boreal Forest Conservation Framework.
"Tar sands oil development should not be the solution to United States transportation fuel needs," says the IBCC (see below). The IBCC also says, "The U.S. government should not provide any incentives for expansion of tar sands oil imports into the U.S., including not providing incentives for pipelines, refineries, and imports."
In view of the IBCC's call for a moratorium on the development of Canadian oilsands and that Pew granted $11.2 million specifically for the IBCC in 2009 alone, it is clear to me that the Pew Charitable Trusts is one of the American foundations that is heavily funding the campaign to thwart the Canadian oil industry.
Arctic Conservation
In addition to the grants listed in the above table, in 2008, Pew also granted to $2.1 million to Ducks Unlimited in Memphis Tennessee, for the Oceans North Arctic Conservation Project. The stated purpose of this project is, "To protect large parts of the U.S. and Canadian Arctic marine environment by providing critical campaign support for the Trusts Oceans North campaign. Acting as a single administrative hub for several dozen consulting arrangements and indigenous partnerships in each country, Ducks Unlimited will coordinate closely with the Arctic Program Directors for efficient and effective management of the arrangements necessary to achieve the campaigns goals."
$US 57 million in Pew Grants for the Canadian Boreal Initiative:
In addition to the grants listed below, in 2011 the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation granted $1.1 Million to Pew "for support of the International Boreal Conservation Campaign." Whether these funds have been re-granted by Pew is not clear from Pew's on-line database.
2009
- $6.1 Million for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign "To protect the Canadian Boreal Forest."
- $4.4 Million for the Canadian Boreal Initiative "To protect Canadas Boreal Forest by providing support to the main partner in the International Boreal Conservation Campaign, providing annual support for Ducks Unlimited boreal campaign staff, the Canadian Boreal Initiative project within Ducks Unlimited, and consulting contracts with the Boreal Songbird Initiative and other key IBCC campaign partners."
- $710,000 for the Boreal Forest-British Columbia Mining "To protect Canadas Boreal Forest by providing support to a key partner in the International Boreal Conservation Campaign, for a land use planning and mining policy reform initiative focused on British Columbia."
2007
- $7,000,000 for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign "To protect North Americas boreal forest by providing support for the Canadian Boreal Initiative and other conservation organizations."
- $4,860,000 for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign "To protect North Americas Boreal forest by continuing to host the Canadian Boreal Initiative."
- $1,200,000 for the Boreal Songbird Initiative "To raise awareness of North Americas boreal forest and the birds that breed there and provide international momentum for protection of the boreal forest and for implementation of the boreal forest conservation framework."
2006
- $5,336,000 for the International Boreal Forest Conservation Campaign "To protect North Americas boreal forest by providing support for the Canadian Boreal Initiative and other conservation organizations."
- $1.1 million for the International Canadian Boreal Forest Initiative "To protect North Americas boreal forest by undertaking field work in Canadas Northwest Territories and other provinces and providing Canadian and American senior managers and other staff to participate in the International Boreal Conservation Campaign."
- $700,000 for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. "To protect North Americas boreal forest by educating and informing the public about the boreal forest and its communities; cooperating with specific place-based campaigns in Canada to focus U.S. attention on special places; and creating attention about market-driven consumption of boreal products."
- $672,000 for the Boreal Songbird Initiative "To raise awareness of North Americas Boreal Forest and the birds that breed there and provide international momentum for protection of the Boreal Forest and for implementation of the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework."
2005
- $1,884,000 in support of the Canadian Boreal Initiative.
- $150,000 for the Boreal Forest Initiative "To support efforts to advance wild salmon conservation goals and address threats to ecological integrity of the Stikine River watershed in British Columbia, Canada." Question: Why is this funded as as part of the Boreal Forest Initiative?
Earlier Grants (2001 - 2004)
- $12 million in 2004 For the Canadian Boreal Initiative "To continue work that has been instrumental in protecting significant amounts of boreal wilderness at the provincial and territorial government level."
- $4,500,00o in 2003 "For a scientifically based, public education campaign supporting permanent protection of wilderness in the Canadian boreal forest."
- $4,500,000 in 2002 "For a scientifically based, public education campaign supporting permanent protection of wilderness in the Canadian boreal forest."
- $2,000,000 in 2001 "To establish a nongovernmental organization to lead conservation efforts to protect the Canadian boreal forest."
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Last up-dated: January 23, 2012
