Case Study : Athabasca Oil Sands

Question 1

Where are the Athabasca oil sands?

Answer 1

Canada

Question 2

What are the environmental impacts of the Athabasca Oil Sands?

Answer 2

• Gas emissions: carbon intensive; air pollution > impacts human health/ acid rain
• In situ open pit mine > deforestation of boreal forest > 5000km2 for mining; 137,000 km2 for pipelines/access
• Water abstraction/pollution > reliance on groundwater aquifers > falling water table/decrease in freshwater supplies
• Liquid tailings produced stores in surface ponds are toxic > leaching into groundwater and Athabasca river. Tailing pond land is unlikely to recover
• Impacts of distribution: mainly pipeline to Gulf of Mexico oil refineries e.g. Keystone pipeline

Question 3

What are the human welfare impacts of the Athabasca oil sands?

Answer 3

• Creation of jobs > in-migration > expansion of temporary foreign worker programmes which exploit non-citizens/ cause housing problems

Question 4

What are the benefits of the Athabasca oil/tar sands more generally?

Answer 4

• Canada is the largest exporter of oil to the US > improves geopolitical relationships/energy security
• Source of jobs and economic growth