maybe shutting down the nasty Tar sands operations in Alberta will help clean up the air?????as tar sand operations are no better than burning coal and much worse than conventional oil production. Specifically
Emissions
Tar sands operations emit roughly 70 megatonnes (Mt) of GHGs per year, which is about 8.5% of Canada's total emissions. This is up to three times more global warming pollution than producing the same amount of conventional crude.
Presonally I find most Canadians will turn a blind eye to what they are doing in Alberta as money is more important to them than the environment.
Canada's tar sands, also known as oil sands, are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Emissions
Tar sands operations emit roughly 70 megatonnes (Mt) of GHGs per year, which is about 8.5% of Canada's total emissions. This is up to three times more global warming pollution than producing the same amount of conventional crude.
Air pollutants
Tar sands operations emit high levels of air pollutants, including organic carbon, which can contribute to hazardous air pollution.
Extraction methods
In-situ extraction, which involves burning natural gas to melt bitumen from the sands, generates more than two and a half times more GHGs than open-pit mining.
Other impacts
Tar sands extraction also:
Depletes and pollutes freshwater resources
Creates toxic waste ponds
Produces petroleum coke, a hazardous by-product, during refining
In 2022, oil sands emissions held steady at 81 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, even as total production increased. This was attributed to industry-wide improvements in greenhouse gas intensity. However, Canada's climate policies are rated as “highly insufficient” by the Climate Action Tracker. The Trudeau government has pledged to cut emissions by at least 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030, but is not on track to meet that goal.
