Tar sand oil resource - benefits/costs - Advantages and disadvantages table in GCSE Geography

Skip to content

Get Revising

Created by: Roisin browne
Created on: 18-04-13 21:47

Tar sand oil resource - benefits/costs

Advantages

300 billion barrels of oil in tar-sands - which is equivalent to Saudi-Arabian oil reserves, therefore- dependence on middle eastern region oil supplies would be reduced.
tar-oil extraction would make profits for the major oil companies.
tax benefits for countries with tar-sands
continued production of oil would avoid the costs of switching to other fuels such as hydrogen.

Disadvantages

heavy oils in tar-sands produce 3 times as much CO2 than 'light oils'.
tar-oil extraction uses vast quantities of water - 6 barrels of water for each barrel of oil.
ancient spruce forests will be cleared to get to oil-rich sands
300 billion barrels of oil supplies 5 years, this would result in delays for the need to search for alternative technologies for the future.

Evaluation

tar-sands can provide us with more years of oil resources, provide more jobs and countries would become richer. although it would have a big effect on the environment, because of deforestation, more water being used, and carbon emissions.

Comments

No comments have yet been made