Chapter 9: Energy Production & Climate Change
9.2 Non-Renewable Energy Sources
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels comes from the organic matter of plants, algae, and cyanobacteria that was buried, heated, and compressed under high pressure over millions of years. The process transformed the biomass of those organisms into the three types of fossil fuels: oil, coal, and natural gas.
Petroleum (oil)
Thirty seven percent of the world’s energy consumption and 41% of Canada’s energy consumption comes from refined petroleum products. Scientists and policy-makers often discuss the question of when the world will reach peak oil production, the point at which oil production is at its greatest and then declines. It is generally thought that peak oil will be reached by the middle of the 21st Century, although making such estimates is difficult because a lot of variables must be considered. Currently world reserves are 1.3 trillion barrels, or 45 years left at current level of production.
Environmental Impacts of Oil Extraction and Refining
Oil is usually found one to two miles (1.6 – 3.2 km) below the Earth’s surface, whether that is on land or ocean. Once oil is found and extracted it must be refined, which separates and prepares the mix of crude oil into the different types for gas, diesel, tar, and asphalt. Oil refining is one of the top sources of air pollution in North America for volatile organic hydrocarbons and toxic emissions, and the single largest source of carcinogenic benzene. When petroleum is burned as gasoline or diesel, or to make electricity or to power boilers for heat, it produces a number of emissions that have a detrimental effect on the environment and human health:
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas and a source of climate change.
- Sulfur dioxide (SO2) causes acid rain, which damages plants and animals that live in water, and it increases or causes respiratory illnesses and heart diseases, particularly in vulnerable populations like children and the elderly.
- Nitrous oxides (NOx) and Volatile Organic Carbons (VOCs) contribute to ozone at ground level, which is an irritant and causes damage to the lungs.
- Particulate Matter (PM) produces hazy conditions in cities and scenic areas, and combines with ozone to contribute to asthma and chronic bronchitis, especially in children and the elderly. Very small, or “fine PM,” is also thought to penetrate the respiratory system more deeply and cause emphysema and lung cancer.
- Lead can have severe health impacts, especially for children.
There are other domestic sources of oil that are being considered as conventional resources and are being depleted. These include the Canadian tar sands – deposits of moist sand and clay with 1-2 percent bitumen (thick and heavy petroleum rich in carbon and poor in hydrogen). These are removed by strip mining or stem injection under ground (see section below on coal). Another source is oil shale, which is sedimentary rock filled with organic matter that can b