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Threats

Tar sands projects threaten ecosystems over a huge area of Alberta; polluting and depleting waterways, endangering the health of wildlife and local communities, and contributing to climate change.

Suncor processing facility and upgrader in the Alberta tar sands. Enlarge Image

Climate Change

Global warming occurs when the heat from the sun hits the surface of the Earth and begins to radiate back towards outer space, but is trapped by too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

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Suncor tar sands facility. Enlarge Image

Water Depletion

The tar sands are made up mostly of sand. Only 10-12 per cent is bitumen – a very heavy crude oil that must be heavily processed and refined to be turned into synthetic crude oil.

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View of tailings ponds looking south over the Syncrude processing facilities and upgrader north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Enlarge Image

Water Pollution

Tar sands operations require the use of vast quantities of water, which become contaminated and must be stored in huge tailing ponds. This both depletes local water reserves and threatens to pollute the environment and nearby communities.

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Syncrude sulphur storage at processing facilities. Enlarge Image

Health

The main health concerns related to the tar sands are associated with air and water pollution. In addition to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, tar sands operations also emit other substances into the atmosphere, most notably nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds.

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Mining the tar sands requires clearcutting the ancient Boreal Forest. Enlarge Image

Boreal Forest

4.3 million hectares of the Boreal Forest cover the tar sands, and these are being clearcut so that oil companies can access the tar underneath. The Boreal Forest has been referred to as the lungs of our planet, and tar sands operations threaten to destroy an area the size of Florida.

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Giant tire on Sparwood coal truck used in tar sands operations. Enlarge Image

Social Costs

It is often argued that the social and economic benefits of tar sands activities outweigh the environmental harm they cause. This is clearly not the case in Alberta. The pace of tar sands development has exceeded the ability of anyone to deal with the social consequences.

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Syncrude tar sands plant and night traffic. Enlarge Image

Energy Security

It seems preposterous to most Canadians that outrageous amounts of environmental and social damage is being caused by the tar sands, yet most of the oil produced does not benefit Canada. Seventy per cent of the oil from the tar sands is piped directly to the United States, which sees Alberta as a “secure” source, compared to oil which comes from more politically volatile areas of the world.

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Recent developments

Detained Forest Campaigner Stephanie Goodwin answers questions about her work in Indonesia
New video mash up sends the message to politicians: Stop the Tar Sands
Day of action in France against Total and oil sands