The Oil Sands Should Be Stopped
By sartaj sandhu
Background Information
This is the current state of the oil sands, the land has been destroyed, if we continue, it will only get worse
Thesis
This otter is one of many other animals who has suffered from an oil spill.
The effect on human health
One of the most dangerous things about the oil sands is the emission of methane, when mining for oil; workers are constantly being exposed to it. The workers are at humongous risk of a higher chance of cancer. One third of all humans are expected to now develop some sort of cancer over their lives (“ is there a cancer threat from the oil sands industry?”), and that is not only for the workers at the mines. In this line of work, over the past years from 2009 to 2012 138 workers died on the job, that’s nearly 8 times as much used to be (“on the job deaths spiking as oil drillings quickly expands”). Another horrible thing that is happening in McMurray is that wild animals that are near the sands are extremely more affected by near my pollution and chemicals. The problem is that this is cruel, but there is still many natives to this country that hunt for tradition, so they are consuming poisoned animals, which is not good (“oil sands pollutants contaminate traditional first nations food; report”).
In some parts of the world, some people cant even step out side without fearing that they might become sick by inhaling pollution, such as the the people of Japan.
Contribution to global warming
The amount of emission is decreasing by a little, but it is still adding to the overall main amount of pollution that is already in the atmosphere. From 1990 to 2011 the total GHG emission in Canada went up by 111 million tons, the oil sand was responsible for 36% while transportation is responsible for 34%(“Alberta oil sands green house gases”). The warmer the earth gets, the more the North and South Pole will melt faster and faster, that will make water levels around the world much higher. If the levels of salt water are higher, it will overcome the little amount of fresh water we have.
Look at the poor polar bears that have been trapped on a small glacier, this is because pollution has melted their former home.
Destruction of the enviroment
The oil that is being pumped out is diluted bitumen; it sinks in the water making it extremely difficult to get out. The sands are very near many rivers and streams, when you go down the rivers you get to towns or villages (a place where people live). The water has been ruined, the fish will die, and also the humans drinking the water have the chance of dying. North Alberta will be turned into a toxic quarantined place if they continue if they too deep mining for oil. Pipelines that carry highly corrosive cargo are built very near communities and water ways; this is dangerous because at any time there could be a spill. The oil sands are destroying wildlife, habitats polluting the air with greenhouse gases, filling water with toxins and making traditionally hunted animals such as deer, moose, and other sick and full of gas. There are other things being destroyed as well, forests, rivers, other ecosystems, and there are also other endangered animals that are at risk (“Athabasca Chipewyan’s first nation and the tar sands”).