Although the race is on for greener sources of energy such as wind, solar, electric, biodiesel, etc., the fact remains that fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal will still be the world’s primary source of energy for decades to come.
The Canadian oil sands deposits are an unconventional source of oil (bitumen) and therefore extraction takes more energy and resources (primarily diesel fuel, natural gas and water). Due to the more intensive nature of extracting oil from these sources, more emissions are created during their extraction than compared to conventional oil extraction methods. However, if Canada’s oil sands companies were to blend Eco-Fuel Saver into the fuel they burn we could DRAMATICALLY decrease the emissions that they produce, and reduce the fuel they use, thereby making Canada’s oil sands companies more environmentally friendly.
In this day and age when most of the world, including the U.S, China and India, is scrambling to buy oil so that they can produce enough energy to power their economies, Canada is in the enviable position of relying on no one for its oil – or energy – needs. And that’s a great thing for any country to have. In fact, Canada may very well be the most energy self sufficient nation on the face of this planet.
No one can dispute the fact that Canada is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources. It has immense reserves of oil (second only to that of Saudi Arabia), as well as natural gas, coal and lumber. It is also a major producer of diamonds and gold. These are just a few of the reasons why so many countries and individuals invest in Canada’s natural resource sector.
Although Canada’s oil sands have received a black eye from environmental groups worldwide, they directly and indirectly provide jobs and income for HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Canadians and their families. The oil sands also provide Canadians with fuel for their cars, trucks, homes, businesses, etc. So perhaps rather than bash Canada’s oil sands companies, of which American, Chinese and British companies also have their fingers in the Canadian oil sands pie, maybe we need to find ways to extract these energy resources more efficiently, and in a more environmentally friendly, responsible way. We can always do something better.
The Canadian oil sands produce only 0.1% of the world’s man-made greenhouse gas emissions, which pales in comparison to the 20 plus percent that America and China each produce. Canada as a whole produces just 2% of the world’s greenhouse gases, of which the oil sands themselves account for only 5% of that total. Yet Canada’s oil provides energy for not just Canadians but for hundreds of millions of people in the U.S and other countries. Canada is now the largest supplier of crude oil to the United States, accounting for roughly 20% of all imports.
There is no country in the world that is perhaps more vulnerable to oil prices, shortages or – god forbid – stoppages, than America. The U.S can no longer produce enough oil domestically (and hasn’t been able to for decades) to provide for its people. It produces less than 5% of what it needs each day to keep “the wheels in motion”.
What if the Arab world suddenly decided to stop selling oil to the United States? The American economy – and the American way of life – would literally be plunged into chaos. OVERNIGHT. Lest we forget, a similar scenario already happened once to the United States during the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 when the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries proclaimed an oil embargo in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military during the Yom Kippur War. Gas stations in America literally ran out of fuel.
Today there is a wave of pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the Arab world. The people of these countries are no longer willing to sit idly by and be dictated to. They want free elections and a government for the people by the people, just like the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Venezuela, and many other nations have. All human beings rightfully deserve to have that in their country. However, what happens when the U.S must deal with THE PEOPLE of these Arab countries instead of a dictator? It is always easier to deal with an individual than a group. Will they want more money for their oil? Or make it harder to get? No one knows how it will all ultimately play out in the end.
The above scenarios should be reason enough – and a wake-up call – for Americans to use their talent and ingenuity to develop and implement alternatives to oil. By doing so, they can dramatically lessen their dependency on other nations for their energy security as well as help clean up their air pollution problems from the burning of fossil fuels.
Nevertheless, if relations with the Middle East were to suddenly turn sour for the United States and they were in an oil crunch, Canada would come to its rescue. Canada would make every effort to increase its supply of oil to America and try to provide at least a semblance of economic stability. And that oil could only come from one place – The Canadian Oil Sands.
Love him or loathe him, President Obama is correct in his belief – and pursuit – that the United States needs to enter rehab over its oil addiction and take a good hard look at using and implementing alternatives to oil. For America – still the world’s largest economy even in todays recession – to be so reliant on other nations for oil so that they can continue to do “business as usual” is downright scary. Like a drug or alcohol addiction, the quicker you kick the habit, the earlier and faster your recovery.
America itself DOES have more oil (and natural gas) than what it produces each day. However, Americans can’t get their hands on much of it, so they must import most of their oil and natural gas (which Canada also supplies). Environmental groups and their lawyers are at the heart of this situation, vehemently opposed to further fossil fuel extraction and exploitation, and the environmental harm that almost always accompanies their extraction. Environmentalists will file suit, go to court, and do whatever’s necessary to tie up those companies wanting to extract fossil fuels on American soil. And they are willing to fight for decades for the cause that they believe in.
In defense of some environmental groups, but not all (extreme, radical groups of any kind often alienate the general public and you need the MASSES behind you in order to make change happen. The Al Qaeda way is a perfect example of going about change THE WRONG WAY), what these groups are doing is a good thing, too. Many of them are simply trying to tell their fellow citizens that it’s time to change and kick the oil habit and stop the destruction of our natural world. It’s a worthy cause. Sometimes someone has to wake people up and it sometimes it takes a little bit of yelling and screaming to do it, too.
What we need to do is strike a balance. Fighting isn’t going to solve the problem – WORKING TOGETHER IS. Obviously we can’t just snap our fingers and Voila! Oil is gone and the world instantly runs on alternative, more environmentally friendly, and sustainable fuels. That’s not reality and it’s not going to happen. Both sides, the fossil fuel industry and the environmentalists, must meet in the middle and move forward together to lessen our oil dependency and increase and implement the use of clean, viable, more environmentally friendly, and sustainable alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuel. That is the way forward. Not hiring lawyers and spending millions of dollars suing each other.
Although America and Canada don’t always see eye to eye on every issue, there is still a tremendous friendship and goodwill between both nations. Truth be told, there are perhaps no two allies in the world that are closer than the United States and Canada. Together, they share the longest uncontrolled border in the world, the U.S is Canada’s largest trading partner, and thousands of American and Canadian citizens cross back and forth between these two countries every single day, either doing business, going on vacation, or a bit of both. If push came to shove in the world, rest assured that Canada and the United States would stand side by side, united as one, and fight right alongside each other – just as they do today in the War on Terror.