Fossil Fuels & Energy

1. Fossil Fuels& Energy Or, words that sound vaguely like bad words like “Fracking” and “Bitumen”

2. What are fossil fuels? : fuels formed from the remains of dead plants and animals • Coal was formed millions of years ago (before the dinosaurs) by plants dying and then becoming buried under layers of dirt and rock. Heat and pressure transformed it into coal. • Oil and gas were formed when millions of years ago tiny sea plants and animals died, fell to the sea floor, and over the years became buried under layers of silt. Heat and pressure turned them into oil and gas.

3. Some Non-Renewable Definitions… • Petroleum: a kind of oil (also called crude oil) found underground that is the source of gasoline and other products • It is used in engines, for heating • Other petroleum products: wax, asphalt, petroleum jelly • Gasoline, Kerosene and Diesel are all liquids that are obtained by distilling or refining petroleum, they are separated out by their different boiling points • Natural Gas: a colorless, odorless substance made up of primarily methane • Used mostly to power turbines or piped into houses for gas stoves • Coal: the “dirtiest” of the 3 fossil fuels, it is a combustible dark sedimentary rock consisting mostly of carbonized plant matter

4. Where are our fossil fuels?

5. Oil • Oil is usually recovered by drilling wells through the rock barrier that traps the oil. • The oil refining process: • separates crude oil into different things like diesel or gasoline • removes impurities such as sulfur, nitrogen, and heavy metals

6. Canada has an estimated 171 billion barrels of oil • 166.3 billion barrels are in Alberta's oil sands • Canada accounts for 10% of the world's proven oil reserves • Canada has more oil than everyone except Venezuela and Saudi Arabia • We remain the single largest foreign supplier of U.S. oil

7. Who Has the world’s oil reserves?

8. Hibernia • Off the coast of Newfoundland • The Hibernia is the world's largest oil platform • Inside the base are storage tanks for 1.3 million barrels of crude oil • The shape of the base is to prevent damage by icebergs. • The oil field is also called the Hibernia Oil Field • A fleet of shuttle tankers continuously ships the oil to the nearby refinery

9. Pipelines • systems of connected pipes used to transport oil and natural gas across long distances from source to market. • Indigenous groups, environmentalists, towns and unions have opposed many pipeline projects they believe could contaminate local waterways through leaks

10. Many pipelines cancelled • Many large-scale pipeline projects have been rejected by the federal government or withdrawn in recent years • Northern Gateway pipeline (AB to BC) • Keystone XL project was rejected by Obama (a decision that Trump subsequently reversed) • Energy East from AB to refineries in QU and NB • Mackenzie Gas Project (NWT to AB)

11. Oil Sands • Oil sands are a natural mixture of sand, water and bitumen (oil that is too heavy or thick to flow on its own) • Discovered by Aboriginal people who used the tar-like substance to waterproof their clothing and canoes. • The oil sands account for 9.9% of Canada’s total GHG emissions and 0.1% of global emissions

12. How Big are the Oil Sands?

13. How dirty are the oil sands? • Oil Sands: a more neutral name for the substance • Tar Sands: a more derogatory name for it

14. Oil Sands reclaimed land • Oil sands development is subject to environmental standards that are among the most stringent in the world. • The Government of Alberta requires that companies remediate and reclaim 100% of the land after the oil sands have been extracted. • Reclamation means that land is returned to a self-sustaining ecosystem with local vegetation and wildlife.

15. Canada’s oil sands explained • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuSJSRL4sjA 1:27

16. Oil Pros and Cons PROS CONS Costs a lot to extract Environmentally damaging Accidents when transporting (spills, leaks) Emits CO2 when burned • We have tons of it • Generates less CO2 than coal • Efficient (small amount makes a lot of energy) • Well paid jobs in the industry

17. Exporting Oil • Canada produces more oil than it can consume. • We are the largest foreign supplier of crude oil to the U.S., accounting for 43% of total U.S. crude oil imports • Canada exported 3.3 million barrels per day to the U.S. in 2017

18. Importing oil

19. Wait, why do we have to import oil if we have so much? • Most eastern Canadian refineries cannot process the bitumen from Alberta • almost anybody can process Saudi Arabian crude oil • To go from Alberta to the east coast, oil would have to be shipped overland for over 4,000 km (makes it more expensive) • Saudi Arabia is 10,000 kilometres away from the Canadian east coast, but oil tanker shipment is cheap • The cancelled Energy East pipeline would have pumped Alberta oil to the east coast

20. How Much Oil is Left? • How Much Oil Is Left On Earth? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynaOH7OmMcM 3:10

21. Activities requiring oil? Yes or No • Driving • Gasoline is the most commonly used product by americans for their day to day transportation needs 45% of all oil used in the US goes to gasoline, which means Americans consume in excess of 180 million gallons of gasoline a day • Washing dishes/laundry • All soapless detergents used to wash clothes and dishes are derived from the petrochemical glycerin. • Drinking Bottled Water • All plastic is made from petrochemicals. Every product made from or containing plastic is a product that exists only through the distillation of petroleum. • Heating my house / apartment • Heating oil is a petroleum product used to fuel furnaces or boilers.

22. Walking/ running • synthetic rubber, derived from petrochemicals, is used for car tires and rubber soles on shoes. • Putting on Make-up • Make-up that contain oils, perfumes, waxes and color, are derived from petrochemicals. • Getting dressed • All synthetic fibres (i.e. polyester, nylon, and acrylic) are derived from petrochemicals. They are used in curtains, carpets, rope and even our everyday clothing.

23. Natural Gas • Made up mostly of methane • Very lightweight and flammable • Used primarily to heat homes, power air conditioning systems, and fuel stoves and other cooking appliances. • Canada is world’s 3rd largest producer

24. Pros of natural gas PROS CONS Not as efficient Tends to be more expensive to extract compared to other fossil fuels Environmental impacts from some kinds of mining can be significant • We have tons of it • Cleanest burning of all the fossil fuels • Relatively low emissions compared to other fossil fuels

25. What is LNG? • Liquified Natural Gas • It is natural gas in its liquid state • It is much easier and cheaper to transport in special ocean tankers • Once received, the LNG is regassified and delivered to markets • It is becoming very popular, Canada is just starting to look into it

26. What is fracking? • Name comes from hydraulic fracturing • It is a form of oil and gas extraction that involves pumping millions of gallons of pressurized, chemically treated water into shale rock • The fluid creates or widens cracks in the rocks, leaving the gas or oil free to escape from underground • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uti2niW2BRA Kurzesagt explains it 5:03

27. Shale • Soft sedimentary rock that formed from mud or clay and can be split easily into fragile slabs.

28. Shale gas

29. Fracking Pros and Cons PROS CONS Huge volume of water needed for fracking Management of contaminated waste water Causes earthquakes • Cheaper to extract • Smaller footprint • Potential energy independence • Buys time to develop renewable energy • Natural gas can act as a bridge fuel to the a 21st century energy economy that relies on efficiency, renewable sources

30. Whoops…it can shoot fire out of your faucet • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LBjSXWQRV8 1:43 • The methane can leak out and get into the groundwater reservoirs

31. Coal • In Canada there is lots of cheap coal • Coal provides about 18% of Canada’s total electricity • Coal plants are responsible for about 14% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions

33. Coal around the world • Coal is the top energy source around the world • Coal generates 41% of the world's electricity • 70% of world's steel production depends on coal.

34. Pros & Cons of coal PROS CONS The smoke causes health problems (ex: emphysema) Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen emissions can bind to water creating acid rain Expensive to re-fit older plants with the new technology • Fairly efficient • Newer plants have filters that eliminate 99% of smoke particles and 95% of carbon released • “Clean coal” • Canada makes a lot of money exporting it

35. What it’s like working on the oil sands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z0s1vJ8MJg 10:15 • Workers can make $90,000-120,000, or even up to $200,000-250,000