This is an example of Tar Sands: oil saturated soil that is harvested and through very non-conservative, destructive means the oil is removed from the soil to be sold, refined, distributed, etc. Because of the dense viscosity of tar sands, the substance cannot be pumped or welled- instead it must be mined in an open pit stripping to earth bare. While much of the world’s oil is now found in tar sands, the process used to remove tar sands uses a grossly high amount of power and water causing excess emissions, often triple of what is actually collected from the tar sands.
There are several movements underway to stop the extraction of tar sands. Many of these movements center their platform on the environmental atrocities being committed, but on a deeper level- most of the lands where these deposits exist are documented native land to the indigenous peoples.
(via earthandscience)
