Greenhouse gases (GHG) may be out of sight, but they’re definitely not out of mind for anyone concerned about the production and consumption of fossil fuels and impacts on climate change.
Obviously, reducing emissions has become a central theme of the climate change debate. The question is how to tackle the problem. Some have argued that oil sands need to be shut down. But is this the only answer when, according to Environment Canada’s round up of Canada’s GHG emissions by sector (2009), oil sands account for less than seven percent of Canada’s emissions and 0.1 percent of global emissions? As a picture is worth a thousand words, we encourage a look at these slides below for a better sense of how Canada’s oil sands fit into the global context.
The challenge, it seems, is larger than one might think. In Environment Canada’s analysis, transport, which includes car travel and the distribution networks that keep goods moving around the world’s second largest country, accounts for 27.5 percent of GHG emissions. Electricity and heat generation represents over 14 percent, while manufacturing, commercial and construction contributes 11.5 percent.
Let’s pretend you’re going on a diet to reduce calories. Is the answer cutting out only ketchup? No. The most effective way to reduce overall intake is on all fronts, from light fare such as breads and crackers to gut-busting favourites like pizza and mini donuts.
In the end, the atmosphere doesn’t care where the emissions come from. What’s more important is that we consider and address GHG emissions from all sources, perhaps focusing our efforts on areas where they’ll have the most impact. We’re not shirking our responsibility - while this is a global challenge, we in industry recognize our role in addressing it. With oil sands GHG emissions forecast by Environment Canada (PDF) to rise to almost 12 percent of Canada’s projected total by 2020, it’s critical we tackle this issue with vigour.
Transport, which includes air travel, produces more than one quarter of Canada's GHG emissions. Photo: iStockphoto
Suncor is just as concerned about ensuring that our operations emit as few GHGs as possible — our seven-point climate change action plan includes the parallel development of renewable energy sources as well as improving the way we manage oil sands production.
And we continue to improve the efficiency of our operations at every level — from our upgrading plants to our retail operations — with a targeted 10 percent improvement in energy efficiency by 2015 (The base year for the planned improvements is 2007). GHG emissions affect us all; we all need to find and support solutions that trim the waistline for the long term, while ensuring we have the energy we need.
