The Energy Onslaught

Canada’s energy industry has an agenda that is at odds with our Kyoto commitments and will profoundly impact our environment.  Dirty oil, nuclear power plants and large scale industrial hydro projects are affecting our forests, water, animals, and lives.

Currently, Canada is home to the second largest reserves of oil in the world.  However, most of that oil is located in the Alberta Tar Sands and the extraction methods are anything but environmentally-friendly.  Oil production from the Tar Sands has increased over the years and is expected to produce at least 3 million barrels of oil a day by 2018.  Meanwhile, each barrel of oil requires up to 5 barrels of water.  In addition, it is estimated that the production of oil from the Tar Sands is up to 300 times more dirty than the production of conventional oil.  With growing energy demands in the U.S., more and more of our oil is being produced to be shipped down south.

Nuclear power plants have already had a pervese impact on our environment.  Aside from the exhorbitant cost of building one, nuclear power plants have long been a source of water contamination with higher levels of radioactive tritium found nearby to some power plants in Canada.  In addition, the proper disposal of nuclear waste has still not been addressed and no adequate solution has been developed to safely dispose of the sludge that can last for thousands of years.

Large scale industrial hydro projects have harmed our fragile ecosystem by diverting water - draining some areas and flooding others - without regarded to its impact on the natural environment.

Sierra Club Canada believes that there is a large, still untapped potential, in energy efficiency and conservation. Energy conservation in combination with more focus on renewable energy sources are key if we are to meet our responsibilities to the international community to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as well as preserve our wilderness.