Oil Sand Impacts Underestimated

According to a new report from Global Forest Watch, industry and government projections of carbon pollution from Canadian oil sand sources have been significantly underestimated.

 

Official estimates have not accounted for the carbon impact resulting from the destruction of forests and peat deposits, leading to a miscount of at least 25 percent.

 

"It adds up to a significant amount of greenhouse gases that will be emitted," said Peter Lee, one of the report's authors.

 

The report estimates that oil sands development proposals on the books would lead to the release of about 873 megatons of carbon over the life of the project.