It's the quiet ones you have to look out for

摘要

ABBC Hardtalk TV programme recently focused on Canada's oil sands industry. In a world dominated by headlines on terrorism, a crisis in the Aiddle East and US politics, one does not really read many stories about Canada. Yet, the BBC dedicated half an hour on the issue of Canada's oil sands sector based in Alberta. Oil sands, sometimes referred to as "dirty oil", have long been the target of climate change campaigners who insist that the energy-intensive extraction of oil sands and the greenhouse gas emissions it generates, mean most of the remaining deposits must stay in the ground. However, the BBC reporter told viewers that this was highly unlikely to happen, due to the fact that around 160 billion barrels of oil lie beneath Alberta's soil. In addition, 20% of Canadian GDP relies on Alberta's oil and gas industry.