What if Canada 's so-called environmental nightmare was really an
engineering triumph and the key to a stable and sustainable
future?




For years, Canadians have been hearing nothing but bad news out
of the Athabasca Oil Sands. From 20th Century economists decrying
it as a perpetual money-loser in the face of more easily-extracted
foreign oil to green groups around the world declaring it the
world's worst industrial enterprise, sometimes it seems as though
no good could ever come from this so-called dirty resource.


But what if developing Canada's Oil Sands was the key to
bridging the gap between current petroleum-based economies and the
alternative energies that aren't ready for market yet? What if it
meant eliminating the threat of Peak Oil and providing economic
stability not just for Canada and the rest of North America, but
for the world? And what if the environmental costs of the resource
were both not nearly as dire as some would have you believe, but
currently better than many other options with the industry already
making huge advances in sustainability, energy use and water
reclamation?


That's exactly the case that Alastair Sweeny, author of
BlackBerry Planet, argues is at the core of the Athabasca
Sands: a bright future. By digging into the past, present and
future of oil sands technology, Sweeny cuts through the hype and
hysteria and makes a solid and engaging case that the Sands aren't
the environmental boogeyman set to destroy humanity, but rather our
best hope for a truly stable and sustainable future.