The Alberta Oil Sands
The Alberta Oil Sands
By: Aidan Witvoet
What Is Social
Justice?
• Social Justice is supporting or
encouraging equality, human rights and
other things that may benefit many people.
• Social Justice is also making a difference
in the lives of people in a certain country
or around the world (for the better).
What Are The Alberta
Oil Sands?
• The Alberta Oil Sands are oil
mining areas in Alberta that
are supposed to be "not as
harmful" to the environment
as mining for oil.
• The Alberta Oil Sands project
is a very controversial issue
because there are HUGE
environmental risks, but the
oil sands benefit our
economy greatly.
Good Things About
The Alberta Oil Sands
• According to the government
of Alberta, "About 71 square
kilometers are under active
reclamation".
• The government of Alberta
also says that as they
proceed with these oil sands,
they are developing better
reclamation techniques and
technology.
• These oil sands benefit our economy by
creating jobs, creating more trading
opportunities with other countries...etc.
• The government of Alberta closely monitors
the emissions of these oil sands facilities, to
make sure that the air remains within the
provincial standards.
• These oil companies try their best not to
disturb wildlife in the area, and to keep the
animals out of these hazardous facilities.
Bad Things About The
Alberta Oil Sands
• According to Desmogblog,
"Oil sands mining is licensed
to use twice the amount of
fresh water that the entire
city of Calgary uses in a
year".
• If the toxic liquid from a
tailing pond in one of the
facilities leaks into one of the
many nearby rivers, this
would wipe out much of the
aquatic life connected to the
rivers.
• It is said that making one barrel of oil from the
oil sands emits up to THREE TIMES more
greenhouse gasses than a barrel of oil from
your average oil.
• By 2020, it is estimated that the two "most
active" oil companies will have made tailing
ponds of toxic liquid that will be over one
billion cubic meters big!
• The Alberta Oil Sands are the largest source
of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
My Action Plan
• Im going to take Action against The Alberta Oil Sands
and their outrageous plan to turn much of the boreal
forest into a toxic wasteland!
• We cannot let this happen, so I am going to try my best
to use a mode of transportation that does not use fossil
fuels.
• I will also encourage others to use modes of
transportation that do not use fossil fuels as well.
Bibliography
Text
• Alberta Geological Survey. Last revised: 7 April 2011. 22 February 2012.
<http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/energy/oilsands/alberta_oil_sands.html>.
• Cenovus Energy. 14 February 2012. <http://cenovus.com/news/a-different-oilsands.html>.
• Desmogblog. 13 February 2012. <http://desmogblog.com/top-10-facts-canadaalberta-oil-sands-information>.
• Forestethics. 14 February 2012. <http://forestethics.org/tar-sands-the-issue>.
Text
• One Blue Marble. 13 February 2012. <http://one-blue-marble.com/alberta-tarsands2.html>.
• Government of Alberta. Last Revised: 31 December 2010. 14 February 2012.
<http://www.oilsands.alberta.ca/>.
• Wikipedia. Last revised: 22 February 2012. 22 February 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice>.
• Wikipedia. Last revised: 8 February 2012. 10 February 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/oil_sands>.
Pictures
• <http://www.google.ca/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&q=alber
ta+oil+sands&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&o
q=&biw=1024&bih=672&sei=ImZFT7OcAeHL0QGkqpzqAw>.
• <http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&tbo=d&gbv=2&tbm=isch&q=al
berta+tar+sands&revid=347817583&sa=X&ei=ImZFT5fDDuHY0QH
824HqAw&ved=0CDAQ1QIoAg&biw=1024&bih=672>.
• <http://www.google.ca/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&q=recla
mation+area&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=gS1&aql=&oq=&biw=1024&bih=672&sei=PARHT4miFMfh0QG32onu
DQ>
Pictures
• <http://www.onearth.org/files/onearth/article_images/07fall_alberta4
1_slideshow.jpg>