Community | July 11, 2008 | 4 comments

Oil sands: Canada's dirty secret

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/11/fossilfuels.pollution

bansheewail
As oil prices continue to reach record highs, the search for new sources of energy has led the world to Alberta, Canada, and its vast oil sands. Now, John Vidal finds, the country famed for its wilderness and clean living finds itself caught between fuelling the world's oil-hungry economy and the ecological devastation and soaring greenhouse gas emissions that exploiting the tar sands produces.

The Caterpillar 797B heavy hauler is the world's biggest truck. It's taller than a four-storey house, as wide as a tennis court and it removes nearly 35,000 tonnes of oily sand a day from a deep open cast mine in northern Alberta in western Canada.

Truck number 108 is driven by Norman Johnson, 63, a long-time Shell man who is planning to spend his retirement fishing, camping and "hunting the critters" in the vast boreal forests and bogs that stretch across the region. "It's just like driving your car. Couldn't be easier - once you get used to its size," he says from his cab, 40ft off the ground. He won't let the Guardian start up either of its two great engines.

But the future of northern Alberta's aspen and pine woods, its rivers and animals are in doubt as the world's greatest modern oil rush accelerates. Shell, Chevron, Exxon, Total, Occidental, Imperial and most other oil majors have so far invested nearly $100bn Canadian dollars (£50bn) in the 1,160 square mile (3,000 square kilometre) "bitumen belt", which is being called the "new Kuwait".

A decade ago, the vast landscape of forests and lakes around Fort McMurray and the Athabasca river provided a fairly minor and barely profitable sand oil industry. But it is now pitted with hundreds of square kilometres of toxic waste ponds, mines that are 300ft deep, hundreds of miles of pipes and burgeoning petrochemical works. Every day brings a bumper to bumper stream of lorries carrying the world's largest plant, pipes and machinery to the area, as well as young men seeking fortunes, and, say critics, the devastation of a pristine land.
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4 comments // Oil sands: Canada's dirty secret

  • bansheewail
    • 0
      bansheewail  

    • Look Burns if you are going to play games with this community at least quit recycling your lame material. It's not even that funny. If you are for real, .......God Bless Big Oil?? hahaha Everyone knows we are over Hubbert's Peak . Your day in the sun is over. Doesn't 53millions dollars of T. Boone's money for advertising mean anything to you?? Diversify and MoveOn.

    • 3 years ago
  • mrburns
  • bansheewail
    • 0
      bansheewail  

    • Why are we still trying to squeeze the last drop of blood from the earthly turnip?? Come on Canada, get with the program. Doesn't Canada have any hippies that aren't too stoned to protest??

    • 3 years ago
  • dank800
    • 0
      dank800  
    • bansheewail:

      lol, i'm from Calgary born and raised. That's pretty rare here. When i was born, Calgary had 400,000 people. We now have 1,100,000 people. The Progressive Conservative government has been in power since the late 70s. People here are all new and simply are thankful for their economic prosperity. So people are less likely to protest or raise a concern since they feel as though they are a guest. The resources belong to the crown, so the prosperity is sent to everyone. Provincial income tax is 10% and we get $500 checks in the mail. really no one pays anything but federal tax. Would you complain if you were getting paid to simply live somewhere. A labourer living in Ft. McMurray can come out after 5 years with over a million dollars.

    • 3 years ago
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