"Petropolis" Documentary Provides Bird's-Eye View of Tar Sands

Filmmaker Peter Mettler recently released a new documentary that gives viewers an aerial perspective of Canada's oil sands operations in Alberta. Called Petropolis, the documentary looks at the impact Alberta's oil sand extraction program and its effect on the land, water, and wildlife of Canada. Greenpeace Canada is helping to promote Mettler's documentary. Canadian government groups and oil companies have criticized the film for omitting footage that would show closed areas where industrial sites are being reclaimed by natural forest.

Commonly referred to as "tar sands" by activists, this Canadian oil reserve is the second largest in the world. Canada plays a crucial part in supplying the United States with oil, accounting for over 50% of their southern neighbor's crude imports. Secretary of State Clinton approved the construction of a new pipeline last year that would be used to transport millions of barrels of Canadian oil to the American Midwest.

Canada's oil sands extraction is considered by many green groups to be one of the most heinous offenses to the environment. Tar sands are collected via surface mining, a process that turns over thousands of square miles of earth to reveal resources lying just below the surface. Oil-soaked sand is processed into bitumen, a tar-like substance that can be refined into synthetic crude oil. About 2 tons of sand must be refined to make a barrel of synthetic crude from oil sands.

Because of the extra work needed to extract, process, and refine oil sands, it is one of the most energy-intensive methods of producing liquid fuel in common practice today. This makes the total environmental impact higher than conventional well-extracted crude, though Canada's oil sands operation is estimated to contribute less than a tenth of a percent of all human generated carbon dioxide, according to Environment Canada.

"Petropolis" is nominated for Best Short Documentary at the 2010 Genie Awards. View the Petropolis Trailer.