August 28, 2015

Tar Sands Incompatible with limiting climate change

More than 100 scientists from the U.S. and Canada called for a moratorium on the development of tar sands Wednesday, saying the carbon-intensive form of energy was "incompatible" with limiting climate change.

The scientists published 10 reasons why mining of tar sands — an energy source that's found largely in Alberta, Canada's Athabasca region and whose mining has led to significant deforestation and forest degradation in the province — needs to be halted. 



"Independent studies have demonstrated that mining and processing Albertan oil sands releases carcinogenic and toxic pollutants (e.g., heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic compounds) to the atmosphere from smoke stacks and evaporation, and to groundwater from leaching of tailings ponds," they wrote. 


No comments: