In response to the escalating energy demands of the United States, Canada has increased its oil production by nearly 50 percent in the past decade and its natural gas production by more than two-thirds. According to a report by the Sierra Club of Canada and the Natural Resources Defense Council, more than half of Canada’s oil production is exported to the U.S., making it one of America’s biggest foreign oil suppliers, on par with Saudi Arabia. “The United States is the world’s biggest fossil-fuel junkie, and Canada provides the largest foreign fix,” says NRDC researcher Matt Price. That’s bad news for Canada’s environment, where energy extraction is leading to higher pollution levels and dwindling wilderness as roads and pipelines are built to support the industry. The report says there are no signs of a slowdown: Another 200,000 wells could be drilled over the next decade.
