What are the disadvantages of tar sands?

Cons

Enormous GHG emissions.
Relatively low net energy return compared to other sources.
Large amounts of water required: roughly 3:1.
Water pollution.
Destructive to major boreal forest.
Widespread habitat destruction, both on land and water.
Requires expensive and risky pipelines.

What are some advantages and disadvantages of tar sands?

The Pros of Tar Sands

It provides a localized economic benefit.
It is a secure source of energy.
Environmental changes can be repaired.
Recipients of tar sands experience economic benefits.
Land preservation efforts can occur simultaneously with tar sands operations.
It fits into existing systems.

What is the importance of tar sands?

On a lifetime basis, a gallon of gasoline made from tar sands produces about 15% more carbon dioxide emissions than one made from conventional oil. This important difference is attributable to the energy intensive extraction, upgrading, and refining process.

How are tar sands formed?

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.

Do we need tar sands oil?

We’re finding tar sands also produces air pollution, which increases incidences of respiratory illnesses and asthma in communities that live around these tar sand refineries. No matter what Big Oil says, the United States does not need more tar sands.

Why is tar sands oil 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. In fact, it has become one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions in that country.

How much oil is in the tar sands?

Reserves and production Alberta’s oil sands has the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world, after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Alberta’s oil sands’ proven reserves equal about 165.4 billion barrels (bbl). Crude bitumen production (mined and in situ) totaled about 2.8 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2017.

What is the issue with oil sands?

Burning tar sands oil creates more pollution than regular crude. Because of its sludgy composition, mining and refining tar sands oil demands an enormous amount of energy. Tar sands generate 17 percent more carbon emissions than conventional oil.

Is tar sands oil good?

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 much oil is coming from tar sands?

BP also has a substantial stake, with a 75 percent interest in Terre de Grace, which it also operates. Projections made after slowdowns in offshore production show that as much as 36 percent of American oil could be coming from Canadian oil sands by 2030.

What kind of technology does Canada use to recover tar sands?

The Canadian government has invested heavily in the use of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) for the tar sands recovery process, but this technology is yet unproven. The process requires also vast amounts of water and chemicals to wash the sands.

How does tar sands mining affect the environment?

Schindler and other scientists and conservationists have called attention to the large-scale environmental destruction that has accompanied tar sands mining, which involves excavating pits as deep as 250 feet to extract the oil-rich sands.

How many square miles of forest have tar sands destroyed?

Over the past four decades, tar sands operations have destroyed roughly 300 square miles of boreal forest and wetland habitat. Large amounts of water are used in the mining process, and the industry has created 70 square miles of toxic tailings ponds that have yet to be cleaned up.

What are the disadvantages of tar sands? Cons Enormous GHG emissions. Relatively low net energy return compared to other sources. Large amounts of water required: roughly 3:1. Water pollution. Destructive to major boreal forest. Widespread habitat destruction, both on land and water. Requires expensive and risky pipelines. What are some advantages and disadvantages of tar…