A new Environment Canada report ("Canada's Emissions Trends 2013") reveals a dramatic shift in Alberta's tar sands industry towards the most climate polluting method of producing bitumen. As a result, the carbon-intensity of each barrel of bitumen has risen 8% over the last six years. By 2020 this is expected to worsen to 16% more CO2 per barrel produced.

Data in the new emissions trends report reveals that the bitumen extraction method known as "steam-assisted gravity drainage" (SAGD) is both a rising star and a rising climate problem. The new data shows:

SAGD has grown 22% more climate polluting per barrel in the last decade
SAGD is now nearly twice as climate polluting per barrel as mining bitumen
SAGD is now the most carbon-intensive method for producing bitumen

My chart below shows the amount of CO2 per barrel to produce bitumen for the two main extraction methods...
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