EU backs down from labeling tar sands as more polluting
OCT 09, 2014
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028328
Nature : Canada’s tar sands contain a vast amount of oil, second only to the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. However, extracting the oil requires much more energy and water than is used in conventional oil mining. For that reason, the European Commission had tried to restrict the importation of tar sands oil by classifying it as more carbon intensive than other fuels. However, the commission has since backed down due to resistance from Canadian oil producers and certain member states that want to reduce their dependence on fuel from politically volatile areas such as Russia and the Middle East.
© 2014 American Institute of Physics
