Alberta Oil Sands Who What Where When Why

Alberta Oil Sands Who What Where When Why How

What are the Tar Sands of Alberta, really? • https: //vimeo. com/46387379 • Type of “unconventional” petroleum deposit • Mixtures of sand, clay and water, saturated with a dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum • Know for being very “dirty” oil because of the processes required to extract it

Extraction: How? • Types of extraction 1. Surface mining/open pit mining (which represents around 20% of all extraction) 2. Steam assisted gravity drainage (In Situ)

How? (continued) • Extraction of oil (In Situ or Steam driven) http: //www. youtube. com • Transportation to refinery /watch? v=ns. S 9 iq 0 ol. VI • Hot water (fresh water) • Bituminous oil mixture + waste • Final round of refinement

Stats • Alberta is Canada’s largest producer of: • crude oil • synthetic crude oil • Natural gas • 12% of GLOBAL oil reserves (whereas Canada’s population is 0. 5% of global population Resource distribution***

Compared to Arabian Gulf

Benefits • Alberta has the highest economic growth in Canada • 136 000 jobs are related to the tar sands industry • 450 000 jobs are projected to be created in the next 25 years • Very cheap and easy access to petroleum products • Lowest tax in Canada

Negative impacts of the oil industry • Fresh water wastage • Emission of GHG’s (1/3 of Canada’s emissions) • Climate change • Deforestation • Ecological impacts (habitats and species) • Aboriginal impacts

Stop the Tar. Sands Campaign • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=La. F 5 Nf. Cj. WHs

Why consider other alternatives? • 3 -5 barrels of fresh water is needed to produce 1 barrel of synthetic oil • This is enough water for 2 million people… per day… • 600 million cubic feet of natural gas is needed • Enough for 3 million Canadian homes • Greenhouse gas emissions Climate change • Health factors for nearby residents (ex. Higher rates of cancer) • 70% of the product is used by the United States, NOT CANADA