Alberta Tar Sands "Nature"

Canada's tar sands, located in the province of Alberta, are an oil reserve the size of England. Extracting the crude oil called bitumen from underneath unspoiled wilderness requires a massive industrialized effort with far-reaching impacts on the land, air, water, and climate. Getting the oil out of the tar sands uses roughly three barrels of water per barrel of oil, or as much water as a city of two million people. After use in tar sands processing, 90 per cent of this water is so contaminated with toxic chemicals that it must be stored in tailings ponds so huge that they can be seen from outer space. Tar sands oil production releases five times more greenhouse gases than conventional oil production. Tar sands activities also affect the health of local communities, causing fish deformities and increased cancer rates.