6.5C - Unconventional Fossil Fuels
The development of unconventional fossil fuel energy resources (tar sands, oil shale, shale, gas, deep water oil) has social costs and benefits, implications for the carbon cycle, and consequences for the resilience of fragile environments. (Canadian tar sands, USA fracking, Brazilian deep water oil) (P: role of business in developing reserves, versus environmental groups and affected communities)
Despite the need to move the global energy budget towards renewable energy sources, much exploration work is still going on searching for new oil and gas fields. At the same time, attention is turning towards what are called 'unconventional fossil fuels'. There are four: tar sands, oil shale, shale gas and deepwater oil. Canada is leading the way with the first of these, the USA with the second and third, and Brazil with the last.
Tar Sands
A mixture of clay, sand, water and bitumen (a heavy, viscous oil)
Tar sands have to be mined and then injected with steam to make the tar less viscous so that it can be pumped out.
Tar sands have to be mined and then injected with steam to make the tar less viscous so that it can be pumped out.
Oil Shale
Oil-bearing rocks that are permeable enough to allow the oil to be pumped out directly.
Either mined, or shale is ignited so that the light oil fractions can be pumped out.
Either mined, or shale is ignited so that the light oil fractions can be pumped out.
Shale gas
Natural gas that is trapped in fine-grained sedimentary rocks.
Extracted by fracking: pumping in water and chemicals forces out the gas.
Extracted by fracking: pumping in water and chemicals forces out the gas.
Deepwater oil
Oil and gas that is found well offshore and at considerable oceanic depths.
Drilling takes place from ocean rigs; already underway in the Gulf of Mexico and off Brazil.
Drilling takes place from ocean rigs; already underway in the Gulf of Mexico and off Brazil.
Social costs and benefits, implications for the carbon cycle, and consequences for the resilience of fragile environments.
It is important to note that exploitation of these unconventional sources has a downside:
However, there may also be social benefits, such as energy companies investing in improving local infrastructure in return.
- they are all fossil fuels, so their use will continue to threaten the carbon cycle and contribute to global warming
- extraction is costly and requires a high input of complex technology, energy and water
- they all threaten environmental damage, from the scars of opencast mines and land subsidence to the pollution of groundwater and oil spills. Certainly, the resilience of fragile environments will be sorely tested.
- this leads to social costs
However, there may also be social benefits, such as energy companies investing in improving local infrastructure in return.
Players
Extraction companies
- have a key role in discovering and developing reserves. However, they will be keen to see a good financial return on their exploratory work and perhaps willing to take risks with the environment in order to achieve this
