The Big Decision
In the words of environmentalist Bill McKibben, Keystone XL represents "a decision point about whether, now that we’re running out of the easy stuff, we’re going to go after the hard stuff."
After more than a century of fueling civilization with fossils, the easy oil -- those places where dead plankton and algae accumulated for millions of years in prehistoric seas, were entombed at just the right pressure and temperature for millions more, then arrived after the tectonic upheavals of multiple geological ages in spots easily accessible by big metal pipes -- is gone. What remains are places like Alberta's tar sands.
"Until five or six years ago, nobody knew tar sands were different than conventional oil drilling," said Grant. "There's been a shift in public engagement and public concern. There are policies indicating that the world is shifting away from higher-carbon oil towards a cleaner-energy economy. There's reason to be hopeful."
Image: The Athabasca river. (David Dodge, CPAWS/Pembina Institute/Flickr)
Backlink: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/wp-content/gallery/oilsands/athabasca.jpg
