Alberta’s Oil Sands are not so Sweet
Alberta Canada is estimated to have the second largest oil reserves in the world, next to Saudi Arabia. Saudi oil is referred to as sweet crude since it is low in sulfur, is light and is easily extracted and converted to fuels. The oil in Alberta is not so sweet. This oil is extremely dense and is contained deep in the sand and clay soils . It is referred to as bitumen or heavy oil. The units of energy required to extract and refine this heavy bituminous oil is 3 to 4 times more than lighter crude.
- Every day, around 600 million cubic feet of natural gas is used on the oil sands. That is enough energy to heat more than three million northern climate homes.
- Producing one barrel of oil from the oil sands produces over three times more greenhouse gas emissions than producing one barrel of conventional oil.
The oil is extracted by either surface mining or in situ, where steam and heated water is injected under pressure to release the oil. Either way both methods are highly destructive to the environment. The Athabasca Oil Sands are considered to be one of the most highly destructive and toxic large scale operations happening on the planet. The production of bitumen and synthetic crude oil emits more greenhouse gas than the production of conventional crude oil and accounts for 40 million tons of CO2 emissions per year.
Several inspired U.S. companies have recently decided to avoid suppliers that source fuel from Canada’s oil sands. Whole Foods Market the organic grocery chain and Bed Bath & Beyond should be commended and supported. This underscores how companies are moving to fill the void left by inaction at Copenhagen and the failure to limit carbon emissions.