How does oil sands affect First Nations?
How does oil sands affect First Nations?
The oil sands industry works closely with Indigenous peoples in support of economic security and well-being in their communities. The industry also provides significant opportunities for Indigenous- owned businesses, entrepreneurs and individual community members to supply goods and services to oil sands companies.
How does Canada benefit from oil sands?
A strong oil sands sector drives a strong national economy by attracting capital, creating jobs and supporting public services. Canada’s oil sands create prosperity across the entire country – not just in Alberta.
What is oil sands development?
The oil sands (or tar sands as they are sometimes inaccurately referred to), are a mixture of sand, water, clay and a type of oil called bitumen. Thanks to innovation and technology we can recover oil from the oil sands, providing energy security for the future.
What does oil sands do to the environment?
Tar sands extraction emits up to three times more global warming pollution than does producing the same quantity of conventional crude. It also depletes and pollutes freshwater resources and creates giant ponds of toxic waste. Refining the sticky black substance produces piles of petroleum coke, a hazardous by-product.
How did the Alberta oil sands form?
Alberta’s oil sands were formed millions of years ago, as tiny marine creatures died and drifted to the sea floor and were covered by layers of sediment that exerted enough pressure and temperatures to transform the organic matter into oil. Over millions of years, that oil became trapped in thick layers of sand.
How much does the oil sands contribute to the Canadian economy?
Investment and tax revenue The oil and natural gas industry is Canada’s largest private sector investor, with oil sands alone injecting almost $13 billion into the economy in 2017.
Are oil sands sustainable?
With the profits flowing to corporations and the long term costs being borne by the public, the Alberta oil sands are not a sustainable resource and their environmental impact will be borne for generations.
What are the effects of oil sands?
Oil sands (e.g., diluted bitumen) can negatively impact the environment and human health. Mining oil sands in Alberta, Canada, has led to degradation of forests and parts of the Athabasca River watershed. Short-term exposure to diluted bitumen can increase the risk of cancer and respiratory and neurological diseases.
How does oil sands development in Alberta impact First Nation groups living in the area?
In specific, the oil sands economy has a significant positive economic impact on local indigenous communities. In general, indigenous involvement in oil and gas extraction and pipelines correlates positively with less dependency on government transfers, lower unemployment, and higher incomes.
Why are oil sands bad?
Tar sands oil — even the name sounds bad. And it is bad. In fact, oil from tar sands is one of the most destructive, carbon-intensive and toxic fuels on the planet. Producing it releases three times as much greenhouse gas pollution as conventional crude oil does.
Why are the Alberta oil sands important?
The responsible development of oil sands is a key driver of Alberta’s and Canada’s economy. It creates jobs and tax revenue for government which support the social programs and capital infrastructure projects we rely on.
Who started the oil sands?
Great Canadian Oil Sands, formed by Sunoco in 1952, started up the first large-scale oil sands mine and bitumen upgrader in 1967. Now known as Suncor Energy, its Base Plant operations would undergo several phases of expansions over the next 50 years.
How does oil impact the economy?
Oil price increases are generally thought to increase inflation and reduce economic growth. In terms of inflation, oil prices directly affect the prices of goods made with petroleum products. As mentioned above, oil prices indirectly affect costs such as transportation, manufacturing, and heating.
Are oil sands good for the environment?
What are the disadvantages of oil sands?
The Cons of Tar Sands
- Clear-cutting is often required to access deposits.
- Extracting bitumen from tar sands is carbon-intensive.
- Dependence on tar sands may just prolong the inevitable.
- The waste products from tar sands are highly toxic.
- Leaks from tar sands operations could harm people and animals in the region.
How can we make our oil sands more sustainable?
8 ways the Oil and Gas Industry is making better use of sustainable technologies
- Better use of data.
- Decreasing freshwater usage.
- Improving water recycling efforts.
- Reducing methane leaks.
- Used oil recycling.
- Streamlining/improving processes.
- Creating digital oilfields.
- Greater acquisition and use of renewable energy.
How does the Alberta oil sands affect the environment?