THE EXTRACTION OF TAR SANDS IN CANADA

WHERE ARE TAR SANDS? THE DAMAGE CAUSED ON IMPACT ON THE LOCAL
WHAT ARE TAR SANDS ? HOW ARE THEY EXTRACTED?
TAIGA PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT
Tar sands are found to be a
The largest Tar sand deposits can be

found in Canada, Venezuela and

Oil sands mining has an effect on just
Large toxic wastewater ponds

mixture of mostly sand, clay,

other deposits are generally found in

a tiny fraction of the taiga forest,
from tar sand mining can be seen

water and a thick substance

regions of the Middle East. much less than one per cent. Since
from space. In addition, tar sand

known as bitumen. Much of Canada's Tar sands are

1967, only 0.03% of Canada's taiga
pipelines have experienced

Bitumen is often extracted

located in Alberta within three
forest has been disturbed by oil sands
hundreds of leaks over the past

from tar sands to produce

regions named: Athabasca, Cold Lake
operations.However, the damage
few years, leaking more than one

and Peace River. The three regions

caused is also very harmful to the

products such as gasoline

million gallons of oil that have

cover an area of more than 142,000

environment since it emits up to three

and some petroleum

polluted rivers, and wetlands,

km squared. times more global warming pollution.

and threatened wildlife.

products. In the United States, tar sand
It pollutes the surrounding water

Surface mining The greenhouse gas emissions for

Bitumen is known to be very

deposits are mostly concentrated
Surface mining is extracting tar

supplies and creates giant ponds of

tar sand extraction and mining are

in eastern Utah, mostly on local toxic waste. Refining the sticky black

thick in texture meaning

sands where the bitumen is
larger than for conventional crude

lands. substance produces piles of

that it cannot flow easily

close to the surface. If the sand
oil.
petroleum coke, a hazardous by-

therefore it clings to sand

deposits are shallow enough,
The extraction of bitumen from oil

THE AREA OF TAR SANDS? product.This affects the surrounding

earth-moving machines can mine

sands requires a vast amount of

and clay. This also means

trees since the soil beneath them

Oil extraction from tar sands uses vast amounts

out bitumen or oils for
water. Water used in the oil sands

that it cannot be pumped

of land, water, and energy when compared to
have to absorb in all the waste

can be recycled, but only small

processing. These deposits must

other oil resources. Open-pit mining also

therefore harming the trees
out of the ground through
produces a lot of waste such as leftover sand,
be within 75 meters of the
amounts of this water are returned

wells like conventional oil. clays, and contaminants within the tar sands
surface to be mined in this way. to the natural cycle.
that may potentially harm nearby water
Along with greenhouse gases, other

Bitumen can be mined in

supplies, therefore, affecting the local

In-Situ mining
pollutants are released into the air

two different ways: environment and people. Some bitumen is too dense, to

during oil sand operations. These

1. Surface mining-if tar sands

flow to the well on its own.

pollutants are harmful to the

are found near the surface,
Therefore, heat must be added
environment and human health and

or fluids injected in order to

include gases such as NOx and SOx.
for example in Alberta,

reduce its density so that it can

Extracting oil sands also has

Canada then they can be

flow to the well. This process is

considerable impacts on people,

mined directly and then

called In-Situ mining especially First Nations peoples.
transported to an extraction

plant where the bitumen can

be extracted from the

mixture.
SOME SOLUTIONS
2. "In-situ" mining-when tar

sands are too deep to dig

2. Clean up the damage:
up, the bitumen can be
1. Cap tar sands pollution: The damage that has been caused by extracting
extracted by injecting hot
Tar sands climate pollution cannot
tar sands needs to be cleaned up. This means
steam to loosen up the
continue to grow indefinitely.
cleaning up the large waste ponds, which are
bitumen meaning that it
leaking toxic waste from the tar sands into the
That’s why the Alberta

would be able to flow

Athabasca River. It also means reclaiming much
government descision to put a

through a well above to the

of the land that has been disturbed by industrial
hard cap on tar sands carbon

surface. activity. By now, only 0.15% of land destroyed by

emissions is so important.
the tar sands has been certified as reclaimed.