The crude bitumen contained in the Canadian oil sands is described by Canadian authorities as "petroleum that exists in the semi-solid or solid phase in natural deposits. Bitumen is a thick, sticky form of crude oil, so heavy and viscous (thick) that it will not flow unless heated or diluted with lighter hydrocarbons. At room temperature, it is much like cold molasses"
The largest oil sands project is in Alberta. The oil sands are buried below the Boreal Forest of northern Alberta on indigenous land is the world's second largest oil reserve: the tar sands. Oil from the tar sands is one of the world's most carbon-intensive fuels, and rapid development of the tar sands could tip the scales towards dangerous and uncontrollable climate change.
As the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, the tar sands are the main reason Canada continues to block meaningful global climate regulations. The Canadian government ignores the warnings of the scientific community by aiming for abysmal targets that will leave us at nearly double the science-based target that we need to meet to keep the increase in global temperature below 2 C and avoid catastrophic climate change.
The tar sands cover an area of land the size of England, which has been divided up and leased to the world's biggest oil companies. These multinational organizations use mammoth machines to carve into the earth and excavate the sticky sand from the open-pit mines. The surface area that must be destroyed to get at the bitumen is called "overburden" by industry, but we call it the Boreal Forest.
The Boreal Forest is a highly complex ecosystem that supports a vast array of plants and wildlife including grizzly bears, wolverine, woodland caribou and over a billion birds. It represents more than 25% of all ancient forests left on the planet and is a source of clean water for millions of Canadians. The Boreal Forest is home to hundreds of First Nations communities that depend on the forest for their sustenance, jobs and traditional activities. Many of the areas under development in the Boreal Forest are subject to land claims and disputes.
At stake is what has quickly become the largest environmental test for Obama before the 2012 election: The president must choose whether or not to grant a Canadian company a permit to build a 1,700-mile pipeline from the Alberta tar sands to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. Environmentalists warn that the pipeline could cause a BP disaster right in America's heartland, over the largest source of fresh drinking water in the country, the Ogallala Aquifer. The nation's top climatologist, James Hansen, has warned that if the Canadian tar sands are fully developed, it could be "game over" for the climate.
The largest oil sands project is in Alberta. The oil sands are buried below the Boreal Forest of northern Alberta on indigenous land is the world's second largest oil reserve: the tar sands. Oil from the tar sands is one of the world's most carbon-intensive fuels, and rapid development of the tar sands could tip the scales towards dangerous and uncontrollable climate change.
As the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, the tar sands are the main reason Canada continues to block meaningful global climate regulations. The Canadian government ignores the warnings of the scientific community by aiming for abysmal targets that will leave us at nearly double the science-based target that we need to meet to keep the increase in global temperature below 2 C and avoid catastrophic climate change.
The tar sands cover an area of land the size of England, which has been divided up and leased to the world's biggest oil companies. These multinational organizations use mammoth machines to carve into the earth and excavate the sticky sand from the open-pit mines. The surface area that must be destroyed to get at the bitumen is called "overburden" by industry, but we call it the Boreal Forest.
The Boreal Forest is a highly complex ecosystem that supports a vast array of plants and wildlife including grizzly bears, wolverine, woodland caribou and over a billion birds. It represents more than 25% of all ancient forests left on the planet and is a source of clean water for millions of Canadians. The Boreal Forest is home to hundreds of First Nations communities that depend on the forest for their sustenance, jobs and traditional activities. Many of the areas under development in the Boreal Forest are subject to land claims and disputes.
At stake is what has quickly become the largest environmental test for Obama before the 2012 election: The president must choose whether or not to grant a Canadian company a permit to build a 1,700-mile pipeline from the Alberta tar sands to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. Environmentalists warn that the pipeline could cause a BP disaster right in America's heartland, over the largest source of fresh drinking water in the country, the Ogallala Aquifer. The nation's top climatologist, James Hansen, has warned that if the Canadian tar sands are fully developed, it could be "game over" for the climate.
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