Canada's Tar Sands
In 2005, Canada was second only to Saudi Arabia in crude oil reserves, but almost 97% of Canada's reserve is in tar sands. The Athabasca Oil Sands development in northern Alberta currently produces 1.98 million barrels per day and is forecasted to reach 3.7 million barrels per day by 2020". (http://www.energy.alberta.ca/oilsands/791.asp) But removing that oil from the tar sands requires a lot of energy. Currently the tar sands project burns natural gas to heat the steam that removes the oil. The tar sands project is the largest single producer of greenhouse gases in North America.
What are some of the harmful effects of the tar sands, and the greenhouse gases they produce?
What are some positives to Canadian tar sands? (check out the link below for some insightful statistics)
Should businesses and consumers be concerned about the effects?
Useful Links:
https://www.energy.alberta.ca/OS/AOS/Pages/FAS.aspx
http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca/OS/Pages/default.aspx
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Thursday 14 June 2018
Ethical Dilemma #3: The Canadian Tar Sands and Their Impact on Wildlife
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ReplyDeletePosted on behalf of Caroline
ReplyDeletePhotographer Ashley Cooper took a group of startling aerial photographs to show the terrible pollution caused by tar sand mining in Alberta, Canada. Alberta's tar sands are third of the world's oil reserves, and many years of exploitation have caused great damage to the local environment and wildlife, and environmentalists have accused them of being "the most destructive industrial project in the world.”(Source: Daily Mail)
Alberta has made millions of barrels of the oil extracted from the tar sands, although it can satisfy our energy demand, it also has a considerable impact on the environment. For instance, large scale mining of tar sands causes the coniferous forests to disappear faster than Amazon. These coniferous forests had been wild animals home, such as Grizzlies, Moose, Buffaloes, Deer and Wolverine. According to the data, The typical process is to drill first, then pump the steam into the ground through the borehole, and the bitumen in the oil sands is melted by steam, which is easy to be sucked to the ground. Heating steam requires burning a lot of natural gas, which produces a lot of carbon dioxide. This will increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere prevents the loss of heat from the earth, and the temperature of earth will rise also it will happen climate change.
Some statistics let me know, it can be used to extract heavy oil and bitumen. It has been identified that the total asphalt content in Canada's oil sands is 400 billion cubic meters, which is the largest asphalt resource in the world. The oil sands in Alberta have 180 billion barrels of crude oil, and by 2020 the existing oil sand resources are expected to extract more than 130 billion barrels of oil, making the total oil reserves of Canada reach 310 billion barrels and become the world's largest oil resource country. It is an estimated that tar sands mining from 2010 to 2035 is expected to contribute 2 trillion and 300 billion Canadian dollars per year to Canada's GDP and provide 630 thousand jobs at the same time.
Nowadays, people are thinking about how to solve the environmental issue. There is an idea is to build a large wildlife sanctuary in areas that may eventually be used for asphalt extraction. But in my opinion, it's not enough, although people can protect some wild animals, the forests, the atmosphere, the land, the river are still polluted. we need to protect our home, our nature.
I agree with your opinion that we need to protect the environment. Tar sand destroyed too much wild area. It will come like boomerang to us, and it will be disaster to ourselves and to people next us
DeleteI agree with your point of view that people need to protect the environment, cause we are always the part of the environment, destroying the nature is destroying us. The problem is, we cannot get both things happen jointly without any sacrifices. So what we, as all people in the world can do, is try our best to bring all two of the sides together, and bring the next few years a bright future.
DeleteI agree with you, we need to protect the environment. The environment is what we are dependent on, without a clean and safe environment humans won't be able to exist.
DeletePosted on behalf of Sihan;
DeleteI agree with that the pollution of getting oil from tar sand should be paid more attention. A way is needed to fix the problem and the fact is we need to protect those nonrenewable sources. It's better to reduce the amount of oil to be exploited and clean up tar sand properly.
tar sand can cause many problems but look at Alberta look at the amount of profit they gain from the tar sand sometimes its better to look at things from a better angle we need to save or environment and things but with the many they gain from it we can use it to protect the environment in conclusion everything has a an advantage and disadvantage so we should look at the bright side and see what we gain rather than disagreeing.
DeleteWhat are some of the harmful effects of the tar sands, and the greenhouse gases they produce?
ReplyDeleteTar sands are really harmful toward our natural environment when “cultivating” them. They produce greenhouse gases, also known as carbon dioxide, is also harmful to all living organisms. We breathe in the greenhouse gases and we are harmed too. Also, it’s harmful to the First Nations who live near the tar sands reserve.
What are some positives to Canadian tar sands?
The positives are, first, we got more power to generate. Tar sands can be a source of energy when converted. Second, there will be more working chances because more businesses will go and develop the tar sands. Third, this will also boost Canada’s economy, because one we can use them ourselves, two we can also export them to other countries. Last, we can have a lot oil reserve to prevent we have nothing to use.
Should businesses and consumers be concerned about the effects?
All the people would be concerned about the effect, but they shouldn’t be concerned about the tar sands. Tar sands got both advantages and disadvantages. Environmentalists might think that this is destroying the environment, but some other people like businesses may think that this is good thing because this can boost Canada’s economy and business.
I think you have concise information about tar sands. It has both positives and negatives. I agree with your opinion that there are both advantages and disadvantages. But, one thing I would like to say is that disadvantages will be much huger as time passed compare to positives. Environment is easy to be polluted, but hard to be unsullied again
DeleteI agree with what you say, the tar sands can easily boost Canadas economy and the tar sands will also offer tons of jobs for all the locals.
DeleteRegarding how environmentalists and businesses see the tar sand's I agree with you. Both of these groups seem to only focus on either the negative aspects or the positives aspects of the tar sands. I also agree with your point on how there two sides to this story, and that the tar sands debate is more complex than it being just "positive" or "negative".
DeleteI agree about both positive and negative. The tar sand should be continued. It's true that it brings bad effect to the environment but it brings advantage more.
DeletePosted on behalf of Sihan:
DeleteI agree with your opinion. i would like add one more in the positives. Politically Canada can sell oil to many American countries and those countries don't have to rely on OPEC anymore and this will bring much economic growth especially in Canada
I strongly agree on your point about tar sand effect its harmful for the environment its cause things like global warming and some effects on water.But apart from those Tar sand has really help Canada economically and in their trading business with the outside world.
DeleteI agree with you that tar sands will boost Canada's economy. It is happening now, the oil sands have made Canada the number one foreign supplier of oil to the U.S. Businesses made a lot of profits from that.
DeleteTar sands have both positives and negatives.
ReplyDeleteTar sands has a huge negative impact on Natural environment, and it has been one of the biggest cause for Climate change. It produces green house gases which is a big part of a climate change. It also increases speed of change because it has destroyed a huge amount of forests. Harmful substances from tar sand industry are polluting natural environment a lot, and cause health problem. Environment is easy to be polluted, but hard to be assuaged.
Of course there are positives of tar sands.
First, Tar sands industry is giving people a job. In 2017, approximately 140,300 are working at the industry, which is a huge amount. Second, it takes big part of Canadian export to other countries. Canadian government can get a profit through selling tar sands. Third, Obviously, it's a big source for generating the energy.
Should businesses and consumers be concerned about the effects?
I think both of them should concern about the effect, especially the negatives. In my opinion, tar sands have more negatives than positives. It looks like we are having benefit in short term. However, it will be a devastating disaster for people to have polluted environment and harmful source to our health. I think businesses should concentrate on developing green energy or renewable energy which has much less health and environmental issues.
I mostly agree with your opinion, but more I think the tar sands bring a lot positives, more than the negatives it got. Nowadays, with the competition of oil reserve from U.S and Saudi Arabia, it's better for Canada to got Canadians' own oil reserve. The oil exploitation can also be a point that people immigrates Canada, and that will bring both business and economical benefits for Canada.
DeleteI agree with you, the tar sands is something that is beneficial in the short term but in the long term it's just a boost to global warming and climate change.
DeleteI agree it brings a huge negative impact to the environment that is hard to be assuaged. However, environment is not as important as the positive impact it brings. We can still live in the bad environment, but we can not live that well without a good economy.
DeleteI agree with what you have to say. I think that for the sake of the people in the effected polluted area they should be compensated in some form. So they can possibly move out of the area and not suffer the health effects.
DeleteFor the most part I have the same opinion on how the pollution aspect of the tar sands can be solved; were so dependent on oil right now that we need to slowly introduce green energy alternatives that have less health issues and don't disturb the environment as much.
DeleteI agree with you mostly. It is vital to prepare for the future rather than only look into the short term benefits. How are you going to suggest businesses to give up this highly profitable industry and to further invest green alternatives? I think we are all thriving for a balance.
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DeleteWhat are some of the harmful effects of the tar sands, and the greenhouse gases they produce? What are some positives to Canadian tar sands? Should businesses and consumers be concerned about the effects?
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of fact, exploiting oil from tar sand will produce a lot of greenhouse gas. I did some research and it is said that before it is transported, we need a lot of energy to melt tar sand and keep the temperature and pressure. It takes many times as much energy as we imagined. If they keep doing this then everything about controlling the weather is nonsense.
Politically Canada can sell the oil to the US and many other American countries. The US doesn’t have to rely on OPEC anymore. It also controls the economic growth in Canada. The industry gets Canada more independent in energy. It also offers opportunities to many people to get a job and brings more businesses.
I think consumers should care about what kind of effect the businesses will bring and about if we should be concerned it depends. Many factors can be considered: environment, politic, economic, social...
The main effect of the tar sands is the amount of greenhouse gases they produce which are extremely harmful for the environment, greenhouse gases are also the main cause of global warming. Also the tar sands take up a lot of space and totally change an area where an ecosystem used to be, this can cause a lot of animals to have to move to another location where they might not fit with the ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteThe positives to having tar sands are that they help the economy a lot with the amount of oil that it produces. It also offers a lot of jobs in a place where there might not be before the tar sand.
I think that most consumers should be concerned about the effects because the tar sands is infecting the only environment that the world has. I think that business should care about the effects but I don't think they actually care because the tar sands are just putting money in the businesses pockets, which would cause a lot of people to not care about a lot of stuff.
I agree with you, businesses don't worry about the effects the tar sands are putting on the environment. They don't worry about the effects because they are making a lot of money which is why they don't want the tar sand business to lower down.
DeleteI agree with your point on how businesses don’t care because they want to make as much money as possible even if there are some bad consequences. But, I believe that if enough people cared about the consequences then the business would change their views in order to get these people to buy their product.
DeleteI strongly agree with you, businesses don't care about negative effects of tar sands. They only care about the amount of profits they can make. The money is the biggest reason why they don't care about that while greenhouse gases are harming environment.
DeleteI agree with you, businesses don't care about this problems. They want to make their company bigger and make a ton of money. The environment with all the animals on it are in big danger if this continuous like this. Money should not be the top priority.
DeleteWhat are some of the harmful effects of the tar sands, and the greenhouse gases they produce?
ReplyDeleteSome of the negative effects of the tar sands include, production of greenhouse gasses and perpetuation of climate change, worsen the quality of air in the surrounding areas, and is causing Canada to become dependent on oil exports for its revenues even though many countries are trying to move away from non-renewables.
From a business standpoint the tar sands are providing an incredible number of jobs and is allowing canada to become a contender on the world stage in terms of oil production, but there is a significant downside that is encroaching on the oil industry. Many countries are making goals to cut down their production of oil, and to move to renewable resources to cover their needs. It seems that soon electric cars will be the future and Canada will have significantly less consumers to buy their oil. Today Canada is hugely dependent on its oil revenues, and only depends on these revenues more each year as the tar sands expand. The question that remains in my mind is, why are we investing so much in an industry that is expected to wither away in the following decade(s)?
I agree with you, Canada shouldn't spend a huge amount of resources and money for this industry. They should spend it for the future like the electric cars. If Canada puts their time on this. Canada would have a bigger economy on the future than other countries.
DeleteI agree with you that the tar sands are great for the economy, but I don't thing oil production is going to wither away very soon because most people's cars are still gas powered therefore we will still be making oil for many years. People don't have enough money to buy an electric car because they are more expensive therefore less people are buying them and more are using gas powered cars still.
DeleteWhat are some of the harmful effects of the tar sands, and the greenhouse gases they produce?
ReplyDeleteThe Alberta oil sands can have many harmful effects on humans and the environment. A large amount of water is required and if they continue to use this much it will leave us with less water. It takes up to 4.5 gallons of fresh water to be able to produce 1 barrel of oil. Even if the operations are highly efficient, it will still take 2 gallons of fresh water to produce a single barrel of oil. The waste products from the tar sands are highly toxic. Once the bitumen is separated from the clay and sand, the remaining soil is highly toxic. To keep it out of groundwater tables, the leftovers are pumped into tailing ponds or waste areas. This process uses a lot of energy that is not always calculated into the final benefits of using tar sands and it causes several toxic ponds to be located all over the landscape. These ponds will likely remain even after a tar sands operation ceases. Once the bitumen is separated from the clay and sand, the remaining soil is highly toxic.
I agree with what you are saying. Oil businesses have very short term views and are basically kicking the can down the road when it comes to their ecological impact and how they are going to fix it.
DeleteI think you're right that oil businesses only think about profit and they don't think about long-term effects, but I think if people were educated more about the environmental consequences, it would be a beneficial move to help the environment.
DeleteI disagree, I think the tar sands are thinking long term. They have proven this by decades of ongoing environmental research and study. I'm not saying it's perfect, but tailing ponds are used for recycling back into the extraction process. This reduces the amount of fresh water that is needed from the Athabasca River. Oil sands recycle 80-95% of water used.
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ReplyDeleteTar sands has harmful effect because it brings pollution. However, I think it brings more positive things to Canada as well. Firstly, Tar sand is essential that Canada can make money and get energy from. Secondly, Now Canada has serious trade disputes with the United States. Tar sand is something can be a leverage to “fight back". Canada won't worry about it because United States is not the only country wants to buy oil from us. “The Canadians have alternatives. The Chinese, for example, are just dying to get a piece of the sandbox.” Given the disadvantage of causing pollution. I think it does not matter a lot. Nowadays, most part of the world has pollution. Cars, factories, air-conditioners and so on can cause pollution. Canada is famous for the good environment, so having little pollution is not a big problem for Canada.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that oil sands have an impact on the environment and it has more advantages than disadvantages, but I think that people should be educated more about the effects, so they can be careful about how they use it and try to find alternatives when possible.
DeleteAlthough there are many negative ecological effects from the Canadian Tar sands, I don't think much is going to change.
ReplyDeleteTo look for more environmentally friendly ways to remove the oil from the tar sands costs money and takes time - both of which businesses wouldn't want to waste. On top of that, a more environmentally friendly system of removing the oil from the tar sands may take more time or produce less oil which means less profit for the businesses. With oil being one of Canada's biggest sources of revenue and Canada being the second largest producer on Earth, people can't afford to change to a system that takes longer to get the oil.
On the flip side, if a business used a more environmentally friendly way to remove the oil from the sands, they would gain popularity among environmentalists which could spark change in other businesses as well.
Even with this positive though, I don't think there will be change and they system for production will only change if it means more barrels of oil are produced.
I agree with you that it would take a lot of money and time to get to a more environmentally friendly tar sand, but if the government pitched in some money for the businesses to get started, I think eventually those businesses would become more popular and then have the proper money to pay back to the government while still having a good profit for their workers.
DeleteI think your right regarding what you said about businesses, that they should use more environmentally friendly ways. I think that's the ideal way to deal with this problem because most of the solutions have more disadvantages than advantages.
DeleteI like how you look at the oil sands issue in a business way. Your idea on the flip side is very interesting. The businesses who are willing to use a more environment friendly extraction method would gain popularity and reputations. But under the huge profits, these companies eventually are the minorities. I believe there's still much to be done about the regulations.
DeleteI agree with you, even though Alberta is trying to control the CO2 emissions, there is still much more to be done, even if it means that they are the minority, there is still much more profit to be made. Although oil extraction may become a little slower, in the end that could be good for Alberta as they will have a long lasting reserve of oil for a steady and long lasting stream of profit.
DeleteI agree with you and I believe some companies are already doing this. Shell for example, already partners with Tree Canada and in 2000 they committed to planting 1 million trees together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Shell continues to be known as a business that 'improves energy efficiency'; their commercials on TV promote this.
DeleteThe most prominent problem that the tar sands and their greenhouse gasses is that they are ruining our environment. The gasses are released into the air and the atmosphere which is destroying it and is a factor in global warming. In the process of making oil, gallons of water is used up that can’t ever be used again and just becomes waste. Also the oil sometimes has spills while in transit whether its in a pipe or a truck and the oil ends up going into lakes and oceans causing harm to ecosystems and the animals who are living in them.
ReplyDeleteSome positives from Canadian tar sands are that it is great for Canadian economy because the oil is sold not only in Canada, so the customers have to pay extra to have the oil shipped (service) plus the cost of the oil itself (goods). Also there are so many jobs that people have in the tar sands and people move to Alberta just to get a job at a tar sand.
Everyone should be concerned about the effects of the tar sands but not everyone is. There are some businesses that are trying to save the environment but other than that, most of the other businesses only care about economy and making a good profit. People who actually know about the bad effects are the ones who want things to change, but the consumers and businesses that aren’t as aware stick to what they know and focus more on what they need to do for themselves. If everyone knew what was really going on and what is happening, I think we could make a plan so that we aren’t making more and more barrels of oil everyday, but instead less and less.
I agree with you that if we got more people to know about the bad things these tar sands do that we would be able to extract oil with less pollution.
DeleteIn my opinion an alternative energy source to the tar sands in Alberta should be found because of how bad these sands are for the environment. For example, in 2002, Canada agreed to the Kyoto protocol with the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 6% by 2012, but instead, because of the tar sands, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 25.3%. If tar sand development projects continue as planned 3000km2 of boreal forests could be cleared, as this is where tar sands are found. Operations with the tar sands also create lots of wast, air pollution and risk the Athabasca River of being drained.
ReplyDeleteSome of the good things that come with the tar sands is as follows: because of the oil sands, Canada is the number one supplier of oil to the U.S., the tar sands create huge profits in Alberta and provide thousands of jobs, and finally Canadian oil reserves are the second-largest on the planet, and supply Canada with a relatively secure source of energy.
I believe more time should be spent thinking of a different source of energy that is environmentally friendly and inexpensive. But of course that would take lots of time and probably lots of money, and most people would think “why should I spend money on a possible new alternative, when we have a perfectly good supply of accessible energy already.”
Business and consumers should be aware of the effects these tar sands have on the environment because , even though they are a good source of energy and jobs, they are harming the wildlife which is our source of food and other things that are essential to life.
Sand tars, like any other fossil fuel, have a negative effect on the environment. It's one of the main causes of climate change. Tar sands are proven to be more harmful to the environment than conventional oil. In order to produce one barrel of synthetic oil from tar sands, three times more greenhouse pollutants will be released compared to conventional oil. The greenhouse pollution is one of the biggest causes leading to climate change. According to the financial post (15 Jan. 2013), the effect that tar sands and fossil fuels are causing to the environment is rapidly increasing since 2003. Tar sands also release significant amounts of carbon dioxide which is a huge contributor to greenhouse gasses leading to climate change.
ReplyDeleteThe advantages of Canadian tar sands production is improving Canada's status among oil-producing countries. This will accelerate Canada's ability to produce high-quality materials and technologies related to the oil industry. There is also a significant improvement in the Canadian economy, according to Alberta energy, approximately 140,300 people were employed in Alberta’s upstream energy sector, (Statistics Canada. 2017). In an article by the financial post,(15 Jan. 2013), the average earnings of people who work in the oil industries is 61% more than the average of any other industry.
I think both businesses and consumers should be concerned about the effects of the tar sands. Both should be aware of the negative environmental consequences that tar sands, like any other carbon dioxide emitting fuel, cause. Hence, they can use other energy alternatives or reduce energy consumption.
There are three trends of concerns that affect the sustainability in Alberta’s oil sands areas. They are economy, environment and social topics.
ReplyDeleteThe Canadian tar sands is harmful for the water, land and wildlife. It consumes freshwater more than several major Canadian cities combined daily. It has destroyed a New York city sized boreal forest and animals’ habitat. Alberta is also failing to protects the rights of aboriginal people in the oil sands area. Their lands are being taken and their health are in danger. “Oil sands operations currently emit roughly 70 Megatonnes (Mt) per year. There is currently no limit on oil sands emissions, either by facility or industry-wide.” According to the official Alberta website, which is very concerning.
It is the third largest oil reserve in the world right now, after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Companies are forecasted to invest $23.7 billion in 2018. Approximately 140,300 people were employed in Alberta’s upstream energy sector in 2017. And many more indirect jobs in other provinces across Canada providing goods, materials and services used to operate the project. That is one major benefit that this industry has brought to Canada. More than job opportunities, it also creates tax revenue through corporate taxes, personal income taxes, property taxes, royalties, land sales and other costs, which gives the government more money to support the social programs and capital infrastructures projects we rely on. It raised Canada’s economic growth by $19 billion in revenues and $13 billion alone.
Despite all the positives, businesses and consumers should be highly concerned by the effects. All the websites generate by the oil sands companies and government are trying to create a façade that the tree planting policy can make up the damages they did to the Earth. Developing natural resources while destroying it is not a solution. The Canada’s oil sands website says: “People ensuring we are developing our natural resources responsibly. That’s as Canadian as it gets.” How ironic! Looking back from decades later in the future, Canadians will definitely regret what they had agreed on. However, a new study predicts clean energy-technologies will kill the demands for fossil fuels worldwide in the next 15 to 20 years. And Canada will get hit the hardest since our extraction technology is much more expensive than what Middle east use. Global News quoted Mercure, a Canadian professor of energy, “I just think this is doomed.”
I believe that Canada is able to repair the environmental damages made from the tar sands. If this continues, Canada will gain profit which leads to more access to different resources and material. I believe that Canada should be making efforts to regulate the pollution produced from the tar sands and make sure they repair the environmental damages during the process.
DeleteThere are some negative effects of the tar sands. Especially, the environmental consequences of oil production from Alberta’s tar sands are major. The biggest environmental impact is climate change. During oil sand extraction and processing, there is huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas emissions are significantly larger than for conventional crude oil. These emissions cause global warming and the enhanced greenhouse effect.
ReplyDeleteEven though it is harmful for environment, there are advantages of oil sands which affects Canada’s economy. The oil sands have made Canada the number one foreign supplier of oil to the U.S. This has become a major factor in Canada’s economic development. Also while Canada’s oil supply isn’t unlimited, Canadian reserves are the second-largest on the planet. Additionally, the Alberta oil sands continue to generate huge profits and provide thousands of jobs.
I think everyone should be aware of various effects of oil sands, especially on negative effect. I know that the businesses don’t really care about negative effects, they only insist on positive effects to cover up the negative effects on environment. Also, they made a lot of profits with oil sands. That’s the biggest reason why they don’t care about negative effects. But businesses and consumers both of them should care about it. It is harming wildfire and also causing global warming because of greenhouse gases.
I agree, the oil industry is not doing enough to stop or at least slow down greenhouse gas emissions, and that likely never will happen due to loss of profit, even if in the long run it will be better for everyone on the planet
DeleteWhat are some positives to Canadian tar sands?
ReplyDeleteThere are many negatives when it come to oil and the environment, however there are also many economical benefits to Canada too.
For example, last year alone, Canada produced a staggering $13 billion worth of oil.
This number is only expected to go up, as Canada aims to go from producing 2.3 million barrels per day in 2014 to 4 million barrels per day in 2024. Producing this much oil is economically beneficial in multiple ways, such as job opportunities. In 2017 alone, approximately 140,300 people were employed in Alberta’s upstream energy sector.
Second, 80-95% of water used and use saline water, so it isn’t actually that wasteful afterall. In addition to this, Alberta has put in place a system that is designed to capture up to 1.08 million tonnes of CO2 per year and transport it 65 kilometers north, then disposing of it about two kilometers below the surface.
I agree with the positives. Canada shouldn't discontinue extracting oil. This is an opportunity to reach a higher status in international relationships, and create a boost in Canadas economy where the money can be used on other things for the development of Canada
DeleteTar sands use natural gas to heat the sands to extract the oil which emits large quantities of greenhouse gasses. Global warming can become worse with the large amounts of greenhouse gasses released from the oil extraction process. Greenhouse gasses and other factors will also potentially pollute our air, drinking water, and land which is not only harmful to us humans, but to wildlife as well.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we have to admit tar sands are economically beneficial. This project has already employed approximately 140,000 people, and is one of the most exported goods from Canada with profits potentially leading to access to more resources and improvements or developments for Canada.
Tar sands have both pros and cons, but both are very different which makes it hard to make a perfect balance that satisfies both sides. The first option is sacrificing our environment with an economy boost in return and the second option is letting Canada plummet but saving our environment.
What businesses should think about is what benefits them and what doesn’t. Looking at only a business perspective, continuing the oil sand project will create more opportunities to create demand on products that can is relevant to the rising boom in the economy, and to the process of producing oil. But looking at an environmental perspective, the pollution that this project will produce is going to damage our environment, which can decrease the value of natural resources.
What I would suggest is to continue the project, but cut off other major sources of greenhouse gas emission in order to regulate the amount of pollution we produce, while continuing to export oil which will benefit Canadian economy.
The tar sands have both positive and negative effects on Alberta, Canada, and the world. Tar sands growth is the largest contributor of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. The tar sands location is ruining the natural habitat upbringing; the location is a breeding ground to over 100 species of birds, but they are being wiped out due to the production of oil. On the manufacturing side of things, the
ReplyDeleteextraction method used in Alberta is the most carbon-intensive. Compared to the United States, Alberta tar sands production emits 5-15% more greenhouses gases into the atmosphere. In order to reach the oil you must dig deep down, too deep to use regular methods. On a global level, the crude oil reserved is very limited. To this day we have approximately 1.3 trillion barrels saved, that is about 40 years worth based on current consumption rates. If oil production discontinued, wealthy countries would buy most of the 40 years reserved crude oil and there would be minimal amounts left for everyone else. Environmentalist are concerned because the Canadian government is not designating enough funds into a more environmentally friendly solution; they are continuing to put money into the tar sands.
Despite the harmful effects of the tar sands, there are many positive effects as well. The tar sands provide thousands of jobs, they contribute to the provincial and national economy, and they supply us with the oil that we desperately need. I can fairly say that I believe that the tar sands are doing the best they can to repair and protect the surrounding habitats and environment. We as Canadians place such high demands on oil that we can not expect the conditions to be perfect. The tar sands are committed to land reclamation; they are partnering with companies to plant trees and reduce their carbon footprint. The tar sands have to follow provincial guidelines which dictates that they must return the land that they used back to its original state, or as close to the original condition as possible.
Businesses and consumers should be concerned about how the gas that they are using is produced. However, it is the governments role to seek alternate methods. I think we should be investing more funds into researching substitute methods. If we did this, we wouldn't be placing such a high demand on our energy sector. Then, we could save more of the natural environment that surrounds the tar sands. I think it's hypocritical to get upset about the environmental damage that is done on a daily basis when our families have at least one vehicle, take holidays, or have a boat. Canadians depend way too much on fuel; things are going to have to change before it is too late. We only have so much oil in reserves, so we must come up with a healthier, cleaner alternative. My parents have a landscaping business and almost all of their equipment requires gas (lawn mowers, trimmers, blowers, the trucks, etc.). If there were other options available, I know they would seriously consider using them. My Dad is always complaining about the high gas prices because it affects the business directly. High gas prices to him mean that they have to charge higher prices for the services that they offer; it is a no win situation. Our country and Canadian businesses need to invest more funds into cleaner oil alternatives. Furthermore, more people should consider the negative and harmful effects of the tar sands, but for us to make a change a big step would need to be taken; a step that maybe we are not ready for yet. Therefore, consumers should be aware and try to personally cut down on the amount of gas that they are using. In doing so, we are taking the first step to change.
Posted on behalf of Alejandro:
ReplyDeleteWhat are some of the harmful effects of the tar sands and the greenhouse gases they produce?
The tar sands are really harmful to the environment and humans. It produces pollution, deforestation and a major amount of water that is lost. All of these affects the species that are living in these regions. It takes down habitats and puts the species in danger.
The Greenhouse gases have a lot of harmful effects on mother nature. With the radiation. It causes Global Warning and polar melting.
The tar sands can be handle easily just like the greenhouse gases. Canada puts a lot of money in the tar sands to produce more money, is just a waste of time! The tar sands just like the oil sands are running off, Canada needs to invest in the future to have more money and to be considered a strong country with their economy. The greenhouse gases need to stop. We know it helps the plants to cultivate but is damaging our ozone layer. We need to find more ways to cultivate them with natural resources.
Is tar sand harmful for our health?
ReplyDeleteTar sand is not only harmful to the climate but to humans to.The study, published last week in the journal Nature, found that the vapors produced by a sizable oil sands operation cause as much air pollution as a major city. When the vapor is released in the extraction process and exposed to sunlight, it mixes with other chemicals in the air to produce secondary organic aerosols, which are a competent of smog. Smog is particularly hazardous to both human and environmental health, and can exacerbate asthma and other respiratory problems. In China, a nation beset by smog, the pollution results in an estimated average of 5.5 years of reduced life expectancy.
The dangers of Canada’s oil sands comes in the midst of another crisis besetting the industry: 80,000 oil workers were evacuated from Alberta’s Fort McMurray in mid-May after a massive wildfire threatened the area, and the shutdown of oil sands operations is costing businesses about a million barrels a day.
so in conclusion Tar sand is harmful for our health.