Tarnished Earth: the destruction of Canada's boreal forest

Aerial view of the oily surface of the Mildred Lake tailings pond adjacent to the Syncrude upgrader north of Fort McMurray. The striking images will show how Canada’s magnificent boreal forest is being destroyed by the rush to extract oil from the tar sands just below the surface. Tarnished Earth will contrast the destruction caused by the oil extraction with the area’s pristine wilderness and the traditional way of life of the indigenous First Nation Cree Photograph: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace

Drawing the line: activists call the destruction of the boreal forest one of the world's worst ecological disasters Photograph: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace

Aerial view of the Syncrude Aurora tar sands mine in the boreal forest north of Fort McMurray Photograph: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace

A 'bituman' scarecrow designed to keep migratory birds from landing in the toxic sludge at the tailings pond of the Syncrude upgrader plant north of Fort McMurray. Behind the haunting figure, smoke plumes rise up out of the plant Photograph: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace

Clumps of trees become isolated amid the destruction of the landscape around them Photograph: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace

Cut in half: vast areas of forest are cleared. Paul Monaghan, head of sustainability at the Co-operative, said: 'We recognise the power of art to motivate people to take action and drive change, and we are confident that Tarnished Earth will help raise awareness of the massive environmental damage being caused by the exploitation of Canadian tar sands.' The Co-operative is staging the exhibition in conjunction with WWF-UK and Greenpeace Photograph: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace

Aerial view of the Syncrude upgrader and tailings pond in the boreal forest north of Fort McMurray Photograph: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace

Toxic sludge floats on the surface of a tailings pond bordering the boreal forest at the tar sands mining site of CNRL (Canadian Natural Resources Limited) Horizon, north of Fort McMurray Photograph: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace

Emma Michael, of the Athabasca Chipenwyan First Nation, at her home in Fort Chipewyan, northern Alberta. She is witnessing the destruction of her ancestral lands by tar sands companies Photograph: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace