Tar Sands Analysis

1162 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The environmental effect of the oil production processes conclusion

Andrew Nikiforuk, in his book “Tar Sands”, delves into the frantic circumstances regarding the Canadian tar sands and its extensive ramifications for North America. The earths most cher hydrocarbon, which is troublesome to unearth, has made Canada “Numero Uno” for oil to the United States: not to mention, each and every oil company has occupancy in the Alberta tar sands. Northern Alberta’s bituminous sands are the globes last great remaining oil field; these tar sands will (if Canada can’t reconstruct its fossil fuel reliant economy) make a few robust companies more prosperous, impair the economy, eradicate the worlds third largest watershed, industrialize one-third of Alberta’s landscape and will have recourse to the last of the nations natural gas supplies. This stomping ground has become an exhaustive haphazard with ill-fated environmental, social and political setbacks. Andrew argues laboriously for change to these energy improficient tar sand projects. Instead of doing away with the tar sands for global concernment, Canada can however use the tar sands as an alteration to a low carbon economy. Nations develop into what they produce and “Bitumen” is redefining Canada. The Alberta oil field has enticed 60% of international oil investments. Companies financing the tar sands totals amount to $200 billion, it has grown into the globes largest energy project. Neither Canada nor Alberta have created a analytical stratagem for the tar sands other than full-blown liquidation, at this degree of reproduction the tar sands will be depleted in forty years. This brisk unraveling in the tar sands has created a foreign rule that opts for its exports; negligent environmental regulations and monitoring have allowed implausible mining to advan... ... middle of paper ... ...ion of Canadian Journalists. “The Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of the Continent”, which scrutinized the swiftness and scope of the world’s largest energy construction, was a “national bestseller and won the 2009 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award”. It was also listed as a “finalist for the Grantham Prize for Excellence In Reporting on the Environment”. Knowing more about Andrew does not influence my opinion on the Alberta’s tar sands I believe Canada should keep open the tar sands but constructed in moderation however it should end the industrialization of a mammoth area of inborn territories, forests and wetlands in Alberta. Canadian and Albertan government should work with impacted communities affected by the tar sands and demand to cut greenhouse gas emission and allure international deliberation to government climate atrocities in the tar sands.

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis of “Tarmageddon: Dirty oil is turning Canada into a corrupt petro-state” and “Ethical Oil: the Puppet rap”

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    The discussion on Alberta’s oil is gaining traction among certain groups in Canada. According to Andrew Nikiforuk’s “Tarmageddon: Dirty oil is turning Canada into a corrupt petro-state,” the continuous development of the Alberta tar sands is only serving to adversely impact Canada’s political, economical, and environmental capacities. The article argues that unless the subject of the Alberta tar sands is addressed as poisonous to the nation, Canada will become overwhelmed and unstable. In a similar regard “Ethical Oil: the Puppet Rap” by Caitlin Dodd, David Henderson-Hean, Kai Nagata, Spencer Powell and Emile Scott, is a satirical rap portraying the Ethical Oil group and spokespeople in a negative light. The video targets environmentally inclined individuals and groups, and brings to their attention some logical fallacies surrounding claims made by the Ethical Oil campaign. Although both pieces address the debate over oil happening in Canada and, they use different methods to satisfy their purpose.“Tarmageddon…” uses a persuasive and argumentative approach while “Ethical Oil…” relies on satire and amusement. Both pieces employ the use of pathos to persuade their audiences, the use of which is stronger in “Tarmageddon…” leading to its more effective use of rhetorical strategies.

    Read More

  • The Benefits Of The Alberta Oil Sands

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Alberta Oil Sands are large deposits of bitumen in north-eastern Alberta. Discovered in 1848, the first commercial operation was in 1967 with the Great Canadian Oil Sands plant opening, and today many companies have developments there. The Alberta Oil Sand development is very controversial, as there are severe environmental impacts and effects on the local Aboriginal peoples. This essay will discuss the need for changes that can be made for the maximum economic benefit for Canada, while reducing the impact on the environment and limiting expansion, as well as securing Alberta’s future. Changes need to be made to retain the maximum economic benefits of the Alberta Oil Sands while mitigating the environmental and geopolitical impact. This will be achieved by building pipelines that will increase the economic benefits, having stricter environmental regulation and expansion limitations, and improving the Alberta Heritage Fund or starting a new fund throu...

    Read More

  • Alberta Tar Sands in Canada

    1676 Words  | 4 Pages

    The reason for this report is to increase the reader’s knowledge on the Alberta Tar Sands, which will allow them to create their own opinions on the situation. It is a very pertinent issue in politics and will have a very large effect on the carbon emissions of Canada. Also, I wanted to further my understanding of the Alberta tar sands and learn the side effects of the tar sands. How the tar sands are different from other oil and energy procurement methods and which method is more energy efficient? Would the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in the United States be an intelligent way for the US to involve itself in the tar sands? I wanted to answer these questions by knowing the real facts about the tar sands versus what the oil companies are telling the consumers. The ability to assess the entire situation will allow both the reader and I to formulate our own opinions about the tar sands and whether the extraction of oil at the tar sands should continue.

    Read More

  • The Tar Creek Mine Environmental Disaster

    2804 Words  | 6 Pages

    The tar creek mining site originally was owned by a Native American tribe, the Quapaw. The Quapaw wanted to keep these lands, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs deemed members opposing a transaction to mining companies “incompetent” (1). In such a case the business could continue and the Bureau of Indian Affairs sold the lands to mining companies. In essence these lands were stolen from the Quapaw because they were ripe for mining. These mines were then used from approximately 1891 to 1970. In the 79 years the mines were open 1.7 million metric tons (~3.75 billion pounds) of lead and 8.8 million metric tons (~19.4 billion pounds) of zinc were withdrawn from the mine (2). The entire area around Tar Creek is known as the tri-state mining area. This tri-state area was a massive source of metals. This area accounted for 35% of the all worldwide metal for a decade. It also provided the majority of metals the United States used in World wars I and II (3).

    Read More

  • How Canada’s Three Major Exports Have Contributed to Canada’s Economy

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    Canada’s ability to maintain a healthy income is important, for without it, Canada’s economy would not be functional. This is where Canada’s three main exports come into play. In 2013, Canada earned 133 billion dollars in exporting Mineral products, 123 billion dollars of that coming from mineral fuels, oils, products of their distillation, bituminous substances, and mineral waxes (Ibid.). With such a booming mineral industry, Canada receives a large income from mining that can be invested in schools, jobs, public projects, and many other important areas . Also, the earnings can be devoted towards small businesses looking to expand by using government funding programs, which helps support and expand Canadian economy (Mentor Works). Overall the money is used for activities that support the Canadian economy and make numerous people’s lives better.

    Read More

  • Desert Solititaire Critical Analysis

    1798 Words  | 4 Pages

    Desert Solitaire aims to draw attention to the activities of a man voluntarily isolated in nature. It seeks to identify the strife that Abbey faces with modern day human’s treatment of his nature. As such, the argument that Abbey poses in one his earlier chapters Rocks is, that the Modern Day man is destructive and cannot be trusted to preserve nature as is.

    Read More

  • Pierre Trudeau

    371 Words  | 1 Pages

    There are many more examples of conflicts between Trudeau's thoughts and his actions. For instance, Trudeau has always been uncomfortable with excessive state intervention in the economy. For this reason he has consistently opposed the imposition of price and income controls. But this did not stop him from deciding, in 1975, that a lack of responsibility on the part of business and labour necessitated the introduction of a controls system. Trudeau has spoken of the need for a shift of emphasis in Canadian society from consumption to conservation. And yet, he allowed energy-conservation measures in Canada to fall far behind those of the United States. More than a few times, Trudeau has insisted that it is our moral obligation as Canadians to share our wealth with poorer nations. Nevertheless, he still reduced foreign-aid spending and even put a protective quota on textile imports from developing countries. Trudeau has written about the importance of consensus in government. But again, this did not prevent him, on more than a few occasions, from entirely disregarding the consensus of his cabinet ministers on a given issue, preferring instead to make the decision on his own.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Keystone XL Pipeline Project

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper will discuss the effects of Keystone XL Pipeline project and how the findings of the research might be beneficial to the United States. The first point of argument will be the negative impact of the Keystone Pipeline to America’s economy and the environment. The second point of view will be the positive impact of Keystone Pipeline to America’s economy. Keystone XL Pipeline is TransCanada’s tar-sand transportation project. The pipeline is supposed to cut across America to be linked with Canada’s tar-sand mines. It is aimed at increasing energy security in America. However, the project has received a lot of criticism from both the citizens and environmentalists for climate reasons (Mendelsohn and Dinar 154). To understand the implications of Keystone XL Pipeline, it is important to look at its environmental and economic impacts to the United States.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Keystone Pipeline

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    The opposition to this project is increasing because the people living in those areas are already feeling negative consequences. The large communities living in Boreal Forest and other Natives lands are being affected by the extraction and process of tar sands. Not only this people are being rushed away from their lands, but also, the rate of cancer, renal failure, lupus, hyperthyroidism and other decease, are higher than ever. This health conditions increased because of the air pollution and the high quantities of metals and chemicals in the drinking water. Yet, lots of precautions are being taken by the company, oil spills keep happening over and over. The external metal corrosion caused by extreme temperatures and the corrosive acid components of the bitumen are factors that contribute to accidents like explosions and oil

    Read More

  • Keystone XL Pipeline Analysis

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    GtC is a measure of a fossil fuel’s potential pollution and tar sand oil contains 400 GtC, 100 more than regular crude (“Should the”). Both opponents and supporters understand tar sand oil burns hotter and dirtier, and such was published in the S.D. report. The US and its citizens cannot control whether Canada exports the oil; it is out of their jurisdiction. Canada will market the valuable oil by any means necessary and the dirtier emissions will undoubtedly enter the atmosphere. Stating that the pipeline must not be constructed to control tar sand oil emissions is invalid. Denying the pipeline will not keep the oil in the ground. Opponents must realize that the oil is going to be drilled and transported, and the Keystone XL Pipeline is the best and safest

    Read More

  • Essay On Fracking

    1982 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the past three decades, energy has been a perennial issue in United States politics, economics, and media. The main concern surrounding this topic is the idea of energy independence and how the United States should proceed into the future. Energy independence relates to the goal of reducing United States dependence on importing foreign oil and other foreign energy sources. This desire aims to maintain energy dependence domestically so the United States can avoid reliance on any unstable countries and be detached from global energy supply distribution. It is currently being speculated that the United States might not be too far off from this goal. America’s dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year since 2007. In 2010, the U.S. imported less than 50 percent of the oil the country consumed -- the first time that’s happened in 13 years -- and the trend continued in 2011 (Zhang.) Experts credit new technology as the reason the United States is within several years of again becoming the biggest oil producer in the world, and perhaps two decades away from full energy independence. Hydraulic fracturing, fracking, is the “lead” technology in this technological revolution. Fracking is an economically more feasible way of drilling for oil or gas in harder to reach geological formation. Within the past decade or so, combining hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling has opened up shale deposits across the country. It has brought large-scale natural gas drilling to new regions that may not have had accessible deposits in the past. These areas have greatly benefited from the addition of this industry to their local economies. Certain are...

    Read More

  • Canadian International Trade

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Canada is great economic superpower that has yet to reach its potential. As the second largest nation by area, we possess vast natural resources. We are a massive importer and exporter on the world stage, who a play a vital role in the stability of the northern hemisphere. Through Canada’s international trade, we export vast quantities of many different foods stuffs, minerals and manufactured goods like cars, while we tend to import lots of Iron, Aluminum and Steel. Our relations with neighbouring nations have been integral in the success of our trade. In 1994 Canada became a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA with the US and Mexico. NAFTA reorganized Canada’s and America’s trading systems to work as one. The trade issue of recent months is about the rising costs of energy in Canada and in the United States. Newly elected President George W. Bush now is proposing a North American energy initiative for a continental power grid. This proposal puts Canada in a very uncomfortable situation. On the one hand we would love to share our resources and appease our super-power to the south. But on the other we prefer to leave our pristine land alone. The growing trend nowadays is that politicians are the ones wanting to please the Americans by giving away our resources, while it is the activist who is concerned about the vast environmental damage this energy legislation could entail.

    Read More

  • Athabasca Oil Sands

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lee, P., and Timoney, K.P. (2009). Does the Alberta tar sands industry pollute? The scientific

    Read More

  • Canadian Natural Resources Case Study

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    Canadian Natural Resources is an oil and gas exploration, development and production company with its corporate head office in Calgary, Alberta. CNR is Canada’s largest oil and gas company and one of the world’s largest independent oil and gas producer. CNR was founded in Calgary, Alberta in 1989 but there is no specific man or women who have found the company. The company started off with drilling shallow gas basin, which is a big contributor of their success. Slowly they shifted into bitumen and crude oil. CNR headquarters are located in Calgary, Alberta and all the other offices are located in Alberta except for one, Fort St.John which is located in British Columbia. Their factories and offices are located in Alberta because Alberta is the

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Environmental Sociology

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    When we look at Enbridge’s Line 9 and the pipeline carrying oil substance that it was not initially designed for we can apply the discipline of environmental sociology and dismember the different aspects and analyze them individually to understand how outcomes are produced. Environmental sociology, in regards to Line 9 addresses the social relations between some of the major towns and cities that the pipe runs through and explains how capitalism forms the base of environmental deterioration as financial income and wealth accumulation are often factors that receive more recognition. The familiar understanding of the Line 9 is that the government and city officials declare that it is safely distributing oil, when in reality, when we as sociologists observe and record that it is providing more societal concerns than it is claiming. This can be obtained through an examination of the numerous health affects that are presented through documentaries, such as residents suffering from seizures, and the arrest of a gentlemen who displayed signs of insanity and madness (Line 9, Film). It is at this point where it can be understood that environmental sociology helps us recognize human diversity and the challenges of living in a diverse world through the examination of human behavior and action towards environmental concerns. In the documentary, This Changes Everything, we are shown that fossil fuels are a growing concern that is attracting the attention of local residents who acknowledge that we are all sharing a common atmospheric space that needs attention from all individuals on all different social and economic levels (This Changes Everything, Film). When environmental

    Read More

More about Tar Sands Analysis

Open Document