Alberta’s oil sands are the world’s largest energy project, with $200 billion in funds committed from the world’s leading oil producers, including BP, ExxonMobil and Shell.

The lifetime value of the oil locked in the bitumen around Fort McMurray is $17.5 trillion. The companies currently produce 1.3 million barrels a day and their strategic intent is to triple this production over the next decade.

A recent report, written by Ceres - a coalition of investors, environmental groups and public interest groups working with companies to address sustainability challenges such as climate change – and widely publicized around the world, suggests that the oil sands risk assessment is such that the potential profitable of the oil extracted from the oil sands will decline over time unless the environmental issues associated with its extraction are addressed.

Read Stephen's full blog post on his site here

Satya will be part of a panel on tonight's Alberta Primetime airing 7 pm on Access on the Alberta wetlands policy and where the province is headed, with particular regard for northern Alberta. What is lacking from existing policy and what do Albertans need to do differently to make successful environmental protection happen alongside oil sands development?

On the Monday May 17th program, Alberta Primetime is examining how Al Jazeera - now being broadcast in Canada - is covering the oil sands and the risks and benefits of their coverage to help lead to a broader debate on resource management and environmental stewardship. Panelists including Satya will discuss.

Links to segments will be available here and post comments and thoughts on what you think here or at the Green Oil Facebook Group.