Sustainability the compression of these layers and oil







Sustainability of the Oil Industry

Daniyal Hasnain

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Mr. Graham

Jan. 1, 2018


is rich with many natural resources. Many types of industries are available in
Canada. This report explores the oil industry. Questions such as the location
of the oil, importance of oil to Canadian economy, a method of extraction, the negative
environmental impacts of oil and ways to lessen the impacts and make this
industry more sustainable have all been thoroughly answered in this report. The
oil industry in Canada is expected to continue growing, however if we do not
start using alternative ways to replace oil, then we will end up consuming all
of the oil reserves and risking all the future generations to come.


















Background and location of Oil in Canada

            Oil is a non-renewable natural
resource found underground in many parts of the world. The oil industry was developed
around 200 years ago. Oil formed hundreds of millions of years ago. Marine
animal and plant remains fall onto the sea floor, pile up into thick layers
covered with sand and silt. Eventually the weight leads to the compression of
these layers and oil is formed.  Being a
natural, non-renewable resource, oil will one day run out. “Given that the world
conclude we’ll run out of oil in 55 years”, according to BP’s Statistical
Review of World Energy.  Scientists
argue weather this statement is accurate. However, unless we find an
alternative to oil, we will soon use up all of the Earth’s oil. Oil is usually
found in geological structures that act as traps and prevent oil from rising to
the surface. Drill rigs and seismic surveys are methods of finding oil Canada is
known for importing, exporting and producing oil. They transport oil using
tankers and pipelines. Calgary, Alberta is Canada’s largest oil producer. They have
made $2.7 million of income from this industry. There are more than 140
companies that supply clean technology products for oil. So far we have come to
the conclusion that the transporting and harvesting of oil is a slow and costly
procedure that heavily pollutes the Earth.


Importance of Oil to the Canadian Economy

            Canada being the 5th largest
oil producer in the world, has an over whelming amount of oil related jobs, and
pays a lot of tax to the government, both these reasons greatly contribute to Canada’s
economy. The oil industry is active in 12 out of 13 provinces in Canada. Oil is
found in Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, North West Territories,
Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Prince Edward
Island and New Brunswick.  This industry is
known to employ over 500 000 workers in Canada. These jobs are difficult and
pay out a high salary. There are thousands of companies dedicated to
manufacture products such as safety equipment, pipeline and tanker services,
plastics, heating, fuel and everything concerning oil. The taxes, royalties and
investments from oil aids Canada’s economy greatly. The oil industry is known
to pay billions for tax and royalties annually. This tax is used for roads,
schools, infrastructure, child care, security, national defense and healthcare.
The investments of oil companies support jobs and businesses and make Canada economically
better. They also increase the labour productivity. Once the labour productivity
has increased, there are more goods and products being manufactured. This increases
the GDP and results in the growth of the economy. Overall the oil industry
offers hundreds of thousands of jobs and leads to billions in tax money, which
is economically beneficial for all of Canada.






Extraction and Exploitation of Oil

            Oil is extracted and exploited and
many ways, using non-flowing wells and used to make fuel. Non-flowing wells do
not have enough natural pressure to force oil up to the surface. In this case, electric
or gasoline pumps may be used to extract the oil. The following steps describe
how these pumps are used. A sucker rod is attached to the pump, the pump is
then pushed up and down to create a suction that draws oil through the well. Then
it is stored into tankers, put into barrels and later on burned or exported
elsewhere. Once the oil has been harvested it is used in many ways. The most
popular use of oil, is fuel (gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels). To convert
oil into fuel it is refined by heating up the oil until it boils. Then it is
separated into different containers of liquids and gases. Then it goes through
a desulfurization process to eliminate unwanted chemicals. After the refining
stage the fuel is transported through pipelines to a refiner’s terminal or
wholesaler. Then finally sold to fuel companies and used all around the world. Fuel
is uses in all vehicles such as cars, planes, trucks and buses. Air, ground or
water travel, all use fuel. Fuel is a key element in the transportation of all
humans. In the U.S., 15.4 million barrels of fuel were used at a daily basis! In
conclusion, oil is mostly used in order to create fuel from being harvested
from non-flowing wells.