Stop The Tar Sands Exploitation

The Tar Sands are petroleum deposits found in the Taiga, Canada. The large oil reserves have attracted oil companies, to the point of over-exploitation.

This has had immense adverse effects on the surrounding environment; entire ecosystems have been wiped out. Huge amounts of land which was host to life has now been deforested, leaving a barren wasteland bereft of life. Yet, there are still doubts about how energy effective it is.

Here are some of the environmental impacts of the Tar Sands:

Air:

Air monitoring over the Tar Sands has shown significant increases in Hydrogen Sulphide: this is a colourless, toxic, flammable gas.

Land:

The process of extraction involves clearing the all flora from the area, and subsequently removing the 'overburden' - topsoil, and all other layers vital to life. The picture above illustrates the barren wasteland left after mining.

Climate Change:

The production of oil from the Tar Sands produces even more Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) than the production of regular crude oil, identifying it as the Number. 1 contributor the GHG emission growth in Canada, accounting to 40 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide each year, with an estimated increase to 67 million tonnes annually by 2015.

Water:

The has been research on the aquatic life in the area of the oil extraction; results have shown high deformity rates in fish offspring, further adversely impacting on the local ecosystem.


Numerous environmental concerns have been raised by organisations such a Greenpeace; focus has been on the high GHG emissions - 1.3-1.7 times that of regular crude oil production.


Finally, there have been negative effects on even public health, including higher rates of cancer in some local residencies, like Fort Chipewyan. In August 2011, the Alberta Government themselves initiated a study to link the Tar Sands, and the high cancer rates. And it's not just humans - moose were found in a 2006 study to have 453 times the acceptable levels of arsenic.

Please, stop this over-exploitation, and tell the oil companies to leave this haven of wildlife, before it's gone all together.

Created by Sid