What’s really going on in Alberta’s oil sands?

How big are Canada’s oil sands? How much of the oil sands are mined? Is mining the only way to extract oil from the oil sands? What are oil sands tailings? And are the oil sands safe?

With proven reserves of 166 billion barrels, Alberta’s oil sands, in the Fort McMurray region, possess the third-largest oil reserves in the world, behind Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. In recent years, Canada’s oil sands have been labelled “dirty oil” by U.S. President Barack Obama, among others.

The Alberta Energy Regulator—the agency tasked with overseeing safe and responsible development of the province’s energy resources—has produced a series of seven short videos on Canada’s oil sands to provide some clarity over these energy reserves and their environmental impact.

So what’s really going on in Alberta’s oil sands? Watch the videos above and find out.

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