Oil Imag(e)inaries: Critical Realism and the Oil Sands

Oil Sands Contaminants

Alberta oil sands development.

P olycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a ubiquitous class of hundreds of organic compounds composed of two or more aromatic rings that are released naturally and from human activities. Natural sources of PAHs include forest fires, oil seeps, and volcanic eruptions; anthropogenic sources include burning of fossil fuels and wood, production of coke and charcoal, petroleum refining, and petr...

Oil Sands Contaminants: Editor’s Response

Canadian Oil Sands: Development and Future Outlook

The worldwide global demand for oil has grown by 150% since 1965 and 20% in the past 20 years to the current 80 million barrels per day, and is projected to grow by 50% more in the next 20 years [1]. The growth in global demand for oil comes at a time when the supply from relatively cheap conventional sources is declining, and reserves are not being replaced with new discoveries [2]. However, t...

Alberta Oil Sands Development and Odour Issues

Fort McKay is an Aboriginal community located in the midst of oil sand development in North East Alberta. Increasing emissions of key air contaminants from oil sands industry are monitored and regulated by provincial government. Though industrial odours have long been a cause of complaint in the region, to date odours have not been monitored or regulated by provincial governments, creating esca...