Why the Consumers Are to Blame for Extraction in Alberta's Oil Sands



When you Google “billion-dollar companies” you can quickly see a theme in your findings. Oil and gas companies dominate the lists of top-earning companies worldwide. They have an astonishing influence on the world economy because they quite literally fuel all other industries and everyday people depend on oil and gas to get things done. When gas prices increase it puts a strain on everyone because in most cases you have no choice but to pay for it.



Canada's Energy Supply



Over half of Canada’s energy supply comes from oil and gas and we are always looking for more ways to get it. We are all hyper aware of the fact that oil is a finite resource and are becoming desperate in our bid to secure some. We are so desperate that we are pursuing oil in Alberta in a manner that is unsafe and possibly not even worth the effort.

The extraction of oil in Alberta has become a huge political issue. It will impact the country in a variety of negative ways. The only way that the extraction will be worth our time is if it brings in money. Since it takes large amounts of water and fuel to extract this oil, the net profits will not be that substantial. The citizens are left to deal with the mess. The negative impact is undeniable because the simple fact that it takes up space makes it a hazard to the environment. It is destroying ecosystems in it’s deforestation process and it’s using vast amounts of water and contributing staggering amounts of CO₂ into the atmosphere. It may be creating jobs but this is a project based on a finite resource. The people around it are unhappy because it’s ugly and it’s spreading it’s ugliness into surrounding areas.

Recently a pipeline located within 100km of the Peace River sprung a leak. 4.5 million litres escaped before it could be plugged. The aboriginal communities in the area were issued an apology but we all know that an apology is not enough. This process threatens our environment and it’s our dependency on these finite fuels that is the root of this problem.

Usually our consumption is driven by corporations, through their advertising and influence. This time it is different. Oil companies don’t have to advertise their products, we depend on them. So this is a change we need to make. We consume energy less consciously than we consume other things. Every thing that we watch, own or eat was produced using energy. The consumers only have themselves to blame for what's happening in the Alberta oil sands. We need to stay conscious of our energy consumption and the actions we take to encourage these companies. We need to demand a change in how we fuel our world.



Oil Comsumption Worldwide - BP