Current Energy in Alberta
Despite the evidence that the world is moving to embrace clean, renewable energy technology, our provincial government remains committed to spending billions of dollars to maintain the status quo: insisting on using dirty oil and coal, while contemplating nuclear power.
Coal
75% of Alberta's electricity production comes from coal. Coal-powered electricity contributes to climate change, environmental degradation, and many negative health impacts. Coal also uses vast quantities of water, and while other jurisdictions like Ontario are phasing out coal, Alberta is building yet another coal power plant.
Oil
CONVENTIONAL OIL
In 2007, conventional crude oil production made up about 28 per cent of Alberta's total crude oil and equivalent production, which is about 21 per cent of Canada's total crude oil and equivalent production.
TAR SANDS
At an estimated 170 billion barrels, Canada’s tar sands have put the country on the global oil map, making Canada 2nd only to Saudi Arabia for proven crude oil reserves (1). Since commencement of oil sands extraction, nearly 40 years ago, extraction of the resource has climbed steadily to the 1.31 million barrels per day in 2008. This figure is expected to nearly triple by 2018 (2).
WATER CONTAMINATION: A THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH - There is growing evidence of significant water contamination from tar sands developments that are putting the people living downstream at increased exposure to deadly toxins. (3)
CLIMATE CHANGE - The tar sands industry in Canada is quickly being identified as a major source of climate change emissions and it is rising. The extraction and upgrading of dirty tar sands oil produces 30–70% more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional oil production. (4)
TREATY VIOLATIONS: IGNORING INDIGENOUS RIGHTS - Over 40 years of tar sands development have violated the rights of the regions First Nations and Métis populations. Treaty rights provide the Indigenous people with the right to maintain their livelihood on their traditional lands (which includes the right to hunt, fish, and trap). Treaty rights ingrained a mandate that there is free, prior, and informed consent received by impacted First Nations communities BEFORE decisions for industrial developments are made. Neither the provincial or federal governments are honouring these agreements and continue to violate our obligations to uphold the honour and mandates within Treaty Agreements.
Learn More about the Tar Sands.
Gas
Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking) is destroying water tables and contaminating drinking water. Increasingly, people in Alberta are finding that they can light their tap water on fire. Not the kind of energy production we want or need!
Nuclear
From the Alberta Energy in a Alberta Nuclear Consultation over 7 in 10 Albertans (72%) agreed that: “I worry we don’t understand the health impacts of nuclear power plants on surrounding communities”. Over 3 in 4 (77%) agreed that “It’s wrong to generate 40 or 50 years of electricity for our generation and then leave a nuclear waste problem that will go on for generations to come”, including a majority (56%) who strongly agreed.
Three-quarters of the telephone respondents (75%) agreed that: “We can have all the affordable electricity from renewable energy we need if we really try”.
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