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Julie Phaneuf

Tar Sands

Chapter Thirteen Summary

Eight Wonder of the World

In chapter thirteen of Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent, Andrew

Nikiforuk shows why the tar sands are terrible for Canada. The author has a negative

point of view about the impact of the tar sands on Canada, and he explains it by

exposing the environmental impact of bitumen on Alberta. While the author begins by

explaining what these people see as positive; it is clear that his goal, in the end, is to

refute the positive aspects that have been introduced in the text.

One of the first points that the author mentions is the economy; he explains the

view of some economists that see the tar sands as having a possible positive impact for

the Canadian economy. “Economists seem to cheerfully agree that the tar sands will

pump a trillion dollars into the economy by 2020. They also predict that the tar sands will

forge a new oil and energy service nation.”(Nikiforuk 187) Nikiforuk believes that the

production of bitumen in Canada is only “a drop in the bucket ”(188). This means that it

is impossible for Canada to become a leader in the production of bitumen because we

produce such a small portion of the global demand of energy, and even if we produced

more, we would still represent only an infinitely small portion of the global production.

In this chapter, the economy is closely linked to the global production of energy.

Nikiforuk explains that some people believe that Canada could become the largest
energy source. This would mean that Canada’s tar sands could provide enough bitumen

for the whole world. The author argues that this statement is false and that it is

impossible for Canada to achieve: “Chinese factories, American cornfields, and Saudi air

conditioners have pushed world oil demand to 85 million barrels a day, and the tar sands

represent only 1.5 per cent of that”(Nikiforuk 188). This shows how impossible it is for

Canada to become a leader in the production of bitumen because we produce such a

small portion of the global demand.

One of the other points that is important in this chapter is the environmental

impact of the tar sands production. Nikiforuk quotes Matthew Simmons a Houston

investment banker,“If I were a Canadian, I’d make it illegal to use precious natural gas

and potable freshwater to turn gold into lead in the tar sands” (qtd 190) This quote

explains clearly that the production of bitumen is extremely damageable for the

environment. Nikiforuk is also unhappy because Canada is the only important energy

provider that has not set up an “energy plan” for our future needs (191). In chapter

thirteen, the environmental impact is the most important point because it is linked to all

of the others.

The three main points that are discussed in chapter thirteen of Tar Sands are the

economy, the production of bitumen and the impact on the environment. The goal of this

chapter was to refute claims from Alberta politicians and economists, who picture the tar

sands as a “global energy lifesaver” that will solve future problems regarding the energy

demand (Nikiforuk 187). Nikiforuk clearly states his point of view as he refutes and

counter argues the statements of those who are pro tar sands, thus making the title of

the chapter an obvious sarcasm.


Work Cited

Nikiforuk, Andrew. Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent. Vancouver:

Greystone Books, 2010. Print.

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