CANADA: Queen Elizabeth Highschool -2c

Oct 5, 2017 by Badr

Case: Alberta Tar Sands

Who benefits from this resource extraction? Who is disadvantaged?

Because the world is so dependent on gas and oil it allows companies and governments to benefit from these demands. So, these organizations in Alberta look towards extracting oil from deep underground oil sands. Now what happens is that these extraction creates tar sands which are filled with horrible chemicals such as Mercury, Arsenic, polycyclic aromatic compounds, heavy metals, and other carcinogenic toxins.

The Alberta Tar Sands is estimated to affect 150,000 thousand people. This includes people who are living on reserves around the area and small towns. These extractions mostly target Indigenous people. Harsh chemicals are leaking into rivers and water supplies of these areas which the residents drink and fish from. These communities are experiencing increased respiratory diseases, cardiovascular problems, renal failure, lupus, diabetes and rare cancers. Many Indigenous groups are moving away from these reserves which impacts their culture and can lead to loss of traditions. One Indigenous group that has been severely impacted is the Lubicon Cree, because they did not sign treaty 8, they do not have legal land rights and the government has given permission to oil companies to drill and build pipelines. This has impacted their traditional ways of life, by reducing the amount of wildlife, aquatic life, plant life, etc., as well as impacted their health due to groundwater pollution and air pollution.

What are the environmental impacts of this resource extraction?

Tar is one of the least efficient, dirtiest source of oil in the world; it is also very destructive. This type of oil has unfortunately destroyed large portions of the Boreal Forest, with having the tar out in the forest- spreading the smell around. Tar is considered toxic and also carcinogenic; which means it has the potential to cause cancer.

It has been killing Migrating Birds, Herds of Caribou, and toxins leaching from tailings ponds and air pollution has caused a 30% increase in cancers from 1995-2006 in local indigenous communities. The tar enters the lakes and ponds, which impact the aquatic life in those lakes and ponds- with the tar it would get into the plants and the plants would be eaten by the land animal- it would impact the whole ecosystem. Additionally, many indigenous groups rely on plants for different foods, medicines, and ceremonial uses.

Kinds of opposition/Environmental preservation being carried out:

- Involvement of national and international NGOs

- Arguments for the rights of mother nature

- Media based activism/alternative media

- Blockades

- Public campaigns

- Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..)

- Shareholder/financial activism.

- Development of a network/collective action

- Occupation of buildings/public spaces

- Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism

- Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment

- Official complaint letters and petitions

- Boycotts of official procedures/non-participation in official processes

- Referendum other local consultations

- Creation of alternative reports/knowledge

- Street protest/marches

Conflicts:

1st level - Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy- - there have been several protests surrounding oil extraction in Alberta, celebrities like Leonardo Dicaprio and James Cameron have visited the Alberta oil sands more than once to argue the risks and hazards of such a large operation.

2nd level - Tailing from mines which are byproducts left behind from extracting bitumen, this can include rock particles, several chemicals, and water. Tailing ponds are water reservoirs that keep materials submerged, for production, some items that can be found are cobalt, nickel, lead, arsenic, etc. (CBC news). Fracking (using high pressure liquid to forcefully extract oil and gas) which causes environmental destruction, and sometimes even earthquakes.

Whose interests are at stake:

- Major oil companies (e.g. ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Devon Energy Corp) who make a lot of money at the cost of the environment

- Government: corporate tax, make policies that benefit companies because it makes money

- Workers who require jobs in the oil sands to live

- Environmental justice organizations (e.g. Greenpeace)

- Indigenous people whose land is being used and traditional ways of life are being impacted due to chemicals, pipelines, fracking, etc.

- Alberta residents whose economy depends on oil, residents - Any person who is concerned about emissions

Indigenous Peoples

Research released in 2009 estimated that 12,000 tonnes of toxic particulate (Mercury, Arsenic, polycyclic aromatic compounds, heavy metals, and other carcinogenic toxins) are dispersed into the air and water annually from the bitumen up-graders of the 2 largest tar sands operators. Downstream, Indigenous populations are experiencing increased respiratory diseases, cardiovascular problems, renal failure, lupus, diabetes and rare cancers, birth defects, higher rates of miscarriages, etc., which are suspected to be caused by toxins leaching from tailings ponds and air pollution. Provincial health authorities acknowledged a 30% increase in cancers from 1995-2006 in the community of Fort Chipewyan in Northern Alberta, Canada (http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca)

The Tar (Oil) Sands are the largest proven reserves outside of Saudia Arabia, but mired in sand, this source is the least efficient(only profitable when oil is >$100USD/ barrel) (https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/why-the-oil-sands-matter-to-every-canadian/article21331322/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com), most destructive(2 tonnes of earth moved per barrel and 1.8 billion litres of toxic tailings waste water daily), and dirtiest(single highest source of GHG in Canada- more than entire domestic car fleet) source of oil in the world. This has destroyed huge portions of the Boreal Forest(important carbon sink), killed migrating birds and caribou herds, and toxins leaching from tailings ponds and air pollution has caused a 30% increase in cancers from 1995-2006 in local indigenous communities.

Government:

With the Alberta Tar Sands being one of the largest reserves outside of Saudi Arabia,yet considered to be a source that is the least efficient,you might wonder how the government would react to this as well as what actions they are taking towards it.The Tar Sands have somewhat disrupted the ecosystems around. The federal government even released documents which have questioned whether rehabilitation is even possible given the high levels of toxicity as well as the high costs. Legal claims have been made as well as treaty issues,immense international outcry, and pleas from the municipality to put a ban on new approvals in order to deal with the overloaded infrastructure. Yet despite all this, the Canadian government is looking forward to expand the oil sand rapidly in the next 20 years.

With all of the information above viewed into consideration,we can suspect that Canadian government honestly doesn't really care much about the negative effects and really just want to expand the Tar Sands.

What could a socially and environmentally ethical response look like?

Tar Sands have both environmental impacts and social impacts.To start with, tar sands can cause air pollution-this can put humans at risk greatly because air pollution can cause asthma and respiratory diseases/inflammation . The air pollution is also a carcinogen-this increases the risk of cancer to the people living in the area. This is a social problem because the Tar Sands pollution was created by human actions and behaviors, it not only has negative consequences on the earth, but the society itself. Another impact of Tar sands is loss of biodiversity. Biodiversity is decreasing because of tar sands,the tar destroys natural habitat of animals and insects.It is also an unsafe place for wildlife because as the tar enter the ponds and lakes, the aquatic creatures are being killed.The tar could also get into the plants that is being eaten by the animals and insects which could impact the whole ecosystem of the area.

Short term and long term.

For the short and long term environmental impacts of the tar sands there are quite a lot. Because of the tar sands wetlands had to be drained and so natural habitats are destroyed therefore organisms living in those habitats have to migrate somewhere else or they begin to die off. Making one barrel of synthetic crude oil takes a lot of water as well as it needs 2-4 barrels of clean water to make the one barrel. The activity’s from the Tar sands also lead to undrinkable water in some areas which are usually rural communities and reserves. The Tar sands industry use of water also returns only a small amount of the water back into the natural cycle. The tar sands also creates deforestation which one, removes trees which doesn’t help with removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and in the long term it leads to habitat loss to all the organisms who rely on the forest to survive. After all the oil sand extraction in an area is finished the land where it takes place is usually full of toxic materials and may not be able to be used by both us and the animals and plants native to the Alberta north. The air quality also is heavily affected by the Tar sands as the air quality can end up being as bad as a major city such as Toronto Canada. The Tar sands also increases the greenhouse gas effect which increases the rate of climate change.

What are NGO’s doing?

In Canada NGO’s are non-governmental organizations. Which in most cases are non-profitable organizations. Because of this situation many international and national NGO’s have been involved in trying to limit or completely stop tar sand extraction. These groups include International ejos, Indigenous groups, Human rights activist, environmental lawyers. These groups are helping by educating and influencing the general public and helping communities that are being affected by supplying clean water. Also they draw international attention to government climate crimes in the tar sands and demand change.There have been many cases of street protests, media based activism, lawsuits, court cases, boycotts, public campaigns. 

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