preview

Sands In Avatar

Decent Essays

For centuries, humans have had the unsatisfiable desire for more. This is seen quite often throughout history, with a common characteristic being that the environment or some people are negatively affected, usually with long­term effects, in mankind’s quest to satisfy their lust. A modern day example of this is seen in Alberta’s oil sands, as well as in James Cameron’s science­­fiction film Avatar. Alberta oil sands have the third largest oil reserves in the world, making up over 20% of Alberta. The oil industry is a staple part of our economy, as we rely heavily on it. However, in order to get to the bitumen­­rich oil sands, countless trees have been cut down, and many people in northern Alberta have been affected, including over 20 indigenous groups. …show more content…

Their efforts have a drastic impact on the planet, which leads the natives of the planet, the Na’vi, to retaliate and stop the humans from destroying their home. The situation with Alberta’s oil sands is clearly, but not completely, reflected in the movie Avatar. This is evident when comparing and contrasting the economic, social, and ecological sustainability of both worlds. Many similarities and differences between Alberta’s oil sands and Avatar’s Pandora can be found when looking at the economic sustainability of both. The goal of Alberta’s efforts in the oil sands and the humans in Avatar is to extract a valuable resource. Oil companies in Alberta extract bitumen from the oil sands, upgrade it so it could be sent to oil refineries, and export and sell it to other countries that have a high demand for oil. In Avatar, humans have arrived on Pandora to extract unobtainium, a rare metal found under the surface of Pandora worth about $20 million per kilogram, as Earth has lost all of its natural

Get Access