Canada’s dirty oil
The development of the Canadian tar sands
February 20, 2008
Jessie Legaree
Tar Sands, or more formally, bituminous sands (bitumen), can be found in 70 countries, but Canada’s – more specifically Alberta’s – deposits are the largest. Initially discovered in 1719, the tar sand deposits in Alberta have only just begun to undergo explosive development. Although past attempts had been made, the composition of the bitumen made it difficult, and thus unprofitable to extract. Tar sands consist of sand or clay, water and extremely heavy crude oil. The sands have been described as being comparable to a tablespoon of molasses, that has been mixed with a cup of sand and then left in the sun to dry.
Extracting oil from these sands requires copious amounts of water and natural gas. After many failed ventures, increases in oil prices and technological advancements have attracted $34 billion in industry investment. Canada now exports over a million barrels of oil products per day to the United States. Since these oil deposits represent as much as two thirds of the world’s petroleum resources, Canada is facing a future of prosperity for years to come.
Unfortunately, expansion of these projects has enormous environmental costs, including the damaging of air, water, forests and, ultimately, the climate. Former Alberta premier Ralph Klein implied that the environmental impact is only a problem if one believes in global warming. However, he later declared that “global warming is a fact.”
Despite the signing of the Kyoto Accord, Canada’s total greenhouse emissions have risen 25.3 per cent since 1990. According to the United Nations data, this gives Canada the “honour” of second-fastest-rising nation. Although regulations were introduced in early 2007, greenhouse gas pollution from tar sands is predicted to triple by 2020. While oil development is emission-costly everywhere, producing a barrel of synthetic crude oil from the tar sands releases up to three times more greenhouse gas pollution than conventional oil. Greenhouse emissions, however, are just the tip of the environmental iceberg.
The Canadian tar sands are found under boreal forest. According to expected development projects, about 3,000 square kilometers could be strip-mined to access oil deposits. Canada’s boreal forest represents one-quarter of the world’s remaining intact forests. Not only will this affect the quality of air, but it will also displace a variety of wildlife. Furthermore, mining operations transform water to tailings that create useless pockets of water mixed with sand, fine clay and residual bitumen. A First Nations community downstream from the tar sands sent representatives to Ottawa to tell of the worrisome health abnormalities experiences in their community.
Alberta’s tar sand mines have earned one of the 100 key global “hotspots” of environmental degradation as determined by the UN Environment Program. What an honour. While this industry is highly lucrative in both investment and job creation, the Conservative government has been pressured to take some action concerning the environment. However, the provision allowing tax incentives from projects will only begin to be phased out between 2011 and 2015. By that time, any environmental initiatives will have been obliterated by the tar sands. Is Canada’s “dirty oil” really profitable?
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