Cost vs environment in alternative fossil fuels
While other sources of fossil fuels, such as oil sands and converting coal-to-liquids are economically promising they have environmental consequences, including the potential to deteriorate water quality, create significant C02 emissions and disturb land and habitats. “With concerns about high and unstable world oil prices, there is strong interest in developing alternative fuel sources,” said Michael Toman, of RAND, lead author of a study funded by the US National Commission on Energy Policy. “Oil sands and coal-to-liquids represent economically important options for expanding global fuel supplies that can ease upward pressures on oil prices.” Current methods for oil sands production require large quantities of water and total CO2 emissions from production and use of oil sands are about 20% higher than conventional petroleum, while total emissions from production and use of liquid fuels from coal are about twice the emissions of conventional fuels.
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