Alberta - Tar sands

Question 1

Details

Answer 1

Worlds largest known reserve of bitumen - imports from Canada make up 19% of US supply.

Question 2

Processing

Answer 2

200,000 tonnes of water used a day to treat bitumen - mass deforestation since 1963 - most extraction done from in situ methods - pumping it from underground - extremely carbon intensive.

Question 3

Environmental impacts

Answer 3

Fish impacted by accumulation of toxins - 2009, 500 migrating ducks dies from high oil content water - emits 3x more CO2 emissions than conventional fossil fuel extraction - produce large tailing pools of waste - leak into river.

Question 4

Indigenous people

Answer 4

Treaty 8 - gives indigenous people their land, right to fish and trap - being infringed upon by Shell - TNC ownership of these lands - unusually high rates of high rare cancers found in indigenous population.

Question 5

Impact on climate

Answer 5

Tar sands cause 2nd fastest rate of deforestation in Canada’s boreal forests - contributes to the melting of the Athabasca glacier.

Question 6

XL pipeline

Answer 6

Oil spill in North Dakota - 9000 barrels leaked into wetlands - irreplaceable ecological damage on the wetlands - 4th spill since it opened - improves US energy security - pass through much tribal lands.