Canada has significant oil and natural gas resources, and the oil and natural gas sector is a source of many jobs for Canadians. To use crude oil, also known as petroleum, we need to refine it. Crude oil is refined into many useful products like fuels for vehicles and airplanes, including diesel fuel. It’s also refined into heating oil, asphalt, and lubricants. Natural gas is used mainly as a heat and energy source, and as part of manufacturing processes, to make fertilizers and motor gasoline, for instance. Crude oil is extracted from underground “wells” or from tar sands, whereas natural gas is found in reservoirs deep within the earth, either by itself (non-associated gas) or with oil (associated gas).

Natural gas is promoted as one of the cleanest, most efficient and environmentally friendly energy sources, but, as is the case with all fossil fuels, it’s not a renewable resource. Once it’s used up, it’s gone. There are environmental concerns associated with the extraction of oil, which is also a fossil fuel. Extracting oil from tar sands requires large amounts of water, and generates ten tons of waste per single ton of tar sand oil. The refinement process for petroleum also generates environmental pollutants, and the burning of petroleum products (like when we drive our cars) produces greenhouse gas emissions.

Find out more about the environmental jobs related to oil and natural gas development:

• GIS Ananlyst
  
• Geologist
  
• Hydrogeologist
  
• Aboriginal Liaison
  
• Clean Energy Researcher
  
• Environmental Co-ordinator
  
• Survey Technician
  
• Environmental Scientist
  
• Remediation Scientist
  
• Environmental Engineer
  
• Environmental Lawyer