It seems reasonable to claim that oil sands have become a considerable issue for both Canada and the global community. Emissions that occur due to the development of their deposits cause significant harm to the environment. The chosen source is available in the New York Times and is written by independent journalists, shedding light on the problem from the Canadian perspective (Austen & Flavelle, 2021). Hence, there is enough evidence to claim that this publication meets the requirements given and contributed to the achievement of the course’s goals. It is reliable, appeals to relevant data sets, and gives grounded opinion on the theme. The mentioned source will be a foundation for the discussion below on how oil sands affect Canada’s environment, as well as how to deal with this problem appropriately.
Almost everyone who is familiar with the oil industry has come across the terms oil, or, as they are also called, bituminous or tar sands. The reputation of an “environmentally dirty process” is firmly entrenched in the development of oil sands deposits (Austen & Flavelle, 2021). This is clearly demonstrated by the lifeless landscapes in the development zone in the province of Alberta in Canada, where this method of oil production is widespread, as well as in the quarries in Utah, where this technology also came from Canada.
Bituminous sands, unlike conventional oil, occur at shallow depths and sometimes come to the surface. The standards and rules governing the environmental requirements for the downhole production process are not technically applicable here (Austen & Flavelle, 2021). The quarrying or mine extraction of oil sands to obtain the oil is a new process, and the way it is done today is met with fierce resistance from ecologists and the population.
Greenhouse gases pose a particular danger, and Canada is in the first place in terms of emissions in the process of oil production. The tar sands of Canada produce the most greenhouse gases compared to other countries (Austen & Flavelle, 2021). Deeper reserves are recovered using superheated steam injection technology. Despite the obvious efficiency in terms of the possibility of recovering hydrocarbons, this technology has significant disadvantages – high consumption of fresh water and high energy costs for steam production (Austen & Flavelle, 2021). In areas where there is a shortage of freshwater, this factor is often an insurmountable obstacle to the application of this technology.
It is not in vain that the discussion of the environmental aspects of the construction of the KeyStone XL pipeline from Canada to the US Gulf of Mexico is provoking stiff resistance in the highest spheres of American politics. The key argument of the opponents of this pipe is the fact that, solving the problem of energy security, the United States and its reliable partner Canada, thereby give carte blanche to large-scale environmental pollution as an indispensable attribute of the development of oil sands deposits. Currently, development is constrained only by the capacities of oil refineries capable of working with natural bitumen and the existing capabilities of the oil pipeline system (Denchak, 2021). Among significant recommendations on how to make oil sands safer, there may be the following aspects (Government of Canada, 2019). First, it is shortcutting the process to reduce greenhouse gases; second, it is paying more attention to test phases; third, it is developing an advanced regulatory framework.
References
Austen, I., & Flavelle, C. (2021). Trudeau was a global climate hero. Now Canada risks falling behind.The New York Times.
Denchak, M. (2021). What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?NRDC.
Government of Canada. (2019). New tech to reduce oil sands greenhouse gas emissions.