ENERGY SOURCES Energy to Change the World Oil has changed the world more than any other energy source It provides people with the fuel to run cars and fly airplanes and is for many nations the main fuel for generating electricity Oil is also the raw material for making many plastics paints fertilizers fabrics cosmetics and countless other goods and materials Oil is normally found in high-pressure wells deep underground It is released by drilling into the wells from the surface In places where the pressure is lower pumps are used to extract the oil or water gas or steam is injected to force the oil to the surface Over the years the oil industry has developed technology The 800-mile 1,287-kilometer Trans-Alaska Pipeline carries oil from remote regions of Alaska to the port of Valdez Some people consider projects such as this to be too costly and say that they endanger habitats and wildlife 10
Energy From Fossil Fuels to drill deeper and in more remote locations for example at sea where offshore platforms access oil that lies deep beneath the seabed The value of oil is so great that it is sometimes referred to as black gold It is found only in certain parts of the world yet it is needed and used worldwide The Middle East is particularly rich in oil and that has led to struggles to control the region’s reserves In some areas the exploration of oil reserves has caused controversy because of its impact on the local environment and wildlife Proposals to drill for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for instance have caused heated debate New Oil Technology With oil supplies running out oil companies are looking at new technologies to extract oil from unconventional sources One technology being developed is the extraction of oil from tar sands The oil is contained in the bitumen or tar that makes up about 10 percent of most of those sands the rest being clay sand and water The bitumen must be separated using a lengthy and expensive process and then purified and thinned before it can be used as oil Tar sands are found in various parts of the world but their exploitation is most developed in Alberta Canada where around one million barrels of oil are produced each day VIEWPOINT New Source Same Problem The search for new sources of oil is leading to ever more expensive and elaborate technologies Many environmentalists question the continued focus on oil-based energy however because producing it and using it creates pollution It takes about 29 kilograms 64 pounds of CO2 to produce a barrel of oil conventionally That figure can be as much as 125 kg 275 lbs for tar sands oil Tar sands extraction also has the potential to kill off or damage the vast forest wilderness in Canada greater than the size of England and Wales Mike Hudema Climate and Energy Campaigner Greenpeace Canada 11
ENERGY SOURCES PROS TAR SANDS EXTRACTION Oil is a central part of our lives so finding new ways to continue its production will help sustain modern lifestyles The technology required to produce oil from tar sands already exists and is improving as more companies become involved Once the oil is extracted from the tar sands the remaining sand and clay can be returned to their original site and the landscape reclaimed for other uses A miner holds a sample of tar sands at a mine in Alberta Canada Canada is a world leader in developing the technology to extract oil from such sands However the process is very expensive and could destroy many fragile ecosystems 12
Energy From Fossil Fuels CONS TAR SANDS EXTRACTION Extracting oil from tar sands uses vast amounts of energy and creates large volumes of waste It takes about 2 tons 1 8 tonnes of tar sand to produce just one barrel of oil Producing a single barrel of oil also requires up to four barrels of water which is heavily polluted during the separation process It also uses as much natural gas as it takes to heat an average family home for four to five days Critics say this process makes extraction a wasteful technology that will never replace conventional oil drilling They argue that the money being spent on tar sands extraction should be used for renewable energy technologies instead Natural Gas Natural gas is another of the world’s major fossil fuels Its use has increased rapidly in recent decades mainly because it is cleaner than coal or oil and produces fewer emissions for the same amount of energy Gas is used to generate electricity or is piped directly to homes and industries for use as a heating and cooking fuel The advantage of natural gas is that it produces a high-quality instant energy That can also make it dangerous however If natural gas is not handled properly it can be highly explosive For that reason gas supplies and gas appliances such as stoves and boilers must be fitted with safety equipment to protect users Why Does Gas Smell If someone leaves the gas on by mistake you will probably know by its smell which is a little like rotten eggs But natural gas has no smell on its own The odor is added to the gas supply to make it easier for people to gas could leak without anyone knowing and if gas comes near a source of ignition such as the spark of detect a gas leak Without the smel a light switch as it is turned on it can explode If you ever smell gas leave lding cal lding immediately Once safely out of the bui the bui emergency help l l for 13
