Dirty Oil - Social and Environmental Issues

DIRTY OILThe social and environmental impact

of Canada’s largest reservoir of crude oil.

by Justin Armula

The Alberta Oil Sands• Third-largest proven crude

oil reserve in the world, next to Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

• Oil sands production is expected to increase from 2.3 million barrels per day in 2014 to 4 million barrels per day in 2024

• Alberta’s oil reserves play an important role in the Canadian and global economy, supplying stable, reliable energy to the world.

http://www.energy.alberta.ca

Oil Sands 101• Oil sand is a naturally occurring

petrochemical that can be upgraded into crude oil and other petroleum products.

• Oil sands are a mixture of sand, water, clay and bitumen. They are found in several locations around the globe including Venezuela, USA, Russia and Canada.

The Economic Benefits• The oil sands have made

Canada the Number One foreign supplier of oil to the U.S. This has become a major factor in the close economic partnership shared by the two countries.

• The oil sands provide Canada with a relatively secure source of energy. While Canada’s oil supply isn’t unlimited, Canadian reserves are the second-largest on the planet.

• The oil sands have spurred massive economic growth in Alberta. Despite the recent economic downturn, the Alberta oil sands continue to generate huge profits and provide thousands of jobs.

The Economic Benefits• Reserves are limited. In

total, global reserves sit at around 1.3 trillion barrels, equivalent to about 40 years of reserves at current consumption rates.

• Some critics believe that our dependence on the oil sands (they account for 47 per cent of the total amount of oil produced in Canada) is simply putting too many eggs in one basket.

The Environmental Costs• As far as extraction methods

go, the ones used in the Alberta oil sands are among the most carbon-intensive. When compared to the average crude oil processed in the United States, greenhouse gas emissions from the Alberta oil sands are approximately five to 15 per cent higher because the oil is too deep to be extracted using traditional methods.

• The Athabasca Delta, where the oil sands are located, is a breeding ground for hundreds of species of birds. But these breeding grounds are destroyed to clear the land for oil production.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro0LWXPlTSA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwwVo3CEFAQ

The Social Costs• First Nations in the tar sands face

difficult issues. They claim that development of the tar sands is destroying their traditional lands. They argue that they are not consulted about development and do not receive adequate compensation for the destruction of their lands and water supplies.

• Many of Canada’s First Nations people, including the Cree, Metis, Dene, and Athabascan, are tied to the land and rely on the continued existence of wildlife for their living. Wildlife is becoming tainted by toxins. Fish and game animals are appearing covered with tumours and mutations. Fish frying in a pan smells like burning plastic. Moose meat from the region contains unacceptably high levels of arsenic, which is a potent cancer-causing substance.

The Social Costs• Between 1996 and 2006

more than 700,000 people poured into Alberta to work in the oil industry, creating severe housing shortages and a $7-billion infrastructure shortfall in roads, schools and healthcare facilities.

• The negative socio-economic effects of rapid growth include alterations to the traditional way of life, negative impacts on traditional lands, drug and alcohol abuse, and increased dependence on non- profit social service providers.

The Social Costs• Substance abuse, gambling

and family violence increased in Alberta, especially in towns near tar sands projects.

• Fort McMurray for example:• has the highest suicide rate in

the country for men age 18-24

• reports five times more drug offences than the rest of Alberta

• has an 89 per cent higher rate of assault

• has a 117 per cent higher rate of impaired driving offences

Structural-Functionalist Theory • Canada and the world’s

economy rely heavily on the production of oil.

• Alberta oil sands are leaving a tremendous environmental footprint in the region; loss of arable land, clean water and fish and animals.

• Unintended negative consequences that are not widely recognized.

Probable Environmental Solutions• World primary energy

demand is projected to increase by 1.5 percent per year between 2007 and 2030, an overall increase of 40 percent.

• It is important to invest in renewable energy technologies; wind, solar, geothermal, tide and wave, and bio-energy.

• Better regulation and management of the environmental impacts of oil production.

Probable Social Solutions• Increased funding of social

services from both industry and government.

• Increased monitoring of air and water conditions related to health and well-being of people and animals.

• Government must slow the expanse of the oil sands to allow society and infrastructure to catch up.

ReferencesAlberta Energy. (2015). About Oil Sands. Retrieved from

http://www.energy.alberta.ca/OilSands/585.asp

Terry, A. (2009). Global News. Pros and cons: Alberta oil sands. Retrievedfrom http://globalnews.ca/news/66591/pros-and-cons-alberta-oil-sands/

Greenpeace. Tar Sands and Social Costs. Retrieved from http:/www.greenpeace.org/canada/global/canada/report/2010/4socialcosts_fs_footnotes_rev_4.pdf

Mooney, L.A. (2013). Environmental Problems, Understanding Social Problems (pp.

433-434). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education

Draw The Line. Moving Beyond Tar Sands Oil. Retrieved from http://www.drawthelineattarsands.com/learn-about-tar-sands/summary-of-issues/