It's that time of year when we look back at 2009 and summarize our achievements for our supporters (and the boss). In the process Pembina's oilsands team has uncovered some interesting statistics about how much our research is used.
In 2009, our oilsands reports were downloaded 355,000 times. Whether you are looking for information on greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land impacts, the oilsands tenure process, in situ development or our Blueprint for Responsible Oilsands Development, we hope you can find something of interest on our site. Our download figures means our research is accessed almost a thousand times every day, with visitors from around the world.
Since we launched Oilsands Watch in late 2005 with our flagship publication Oilsands Fever: The Environmental Implications of Canada's Oilsands Rush, concern about mismanagement of oilsands development has been steadily increasing. Some time this month we passed the one million mark for downloads of our reports identifying the environmental impacts associated with oilsands development and their solutions.
That milestone is a pretty good indication of the level of interest in oilsands issues in Alberta, Canada and around the world, and of the thirst for credible, accurate information about oilsands impacts and solutions.
Late last year our work was profiled by the respected industry magazine Petroleum Economist. The article, “Pembina Institute: putting Albertans First,” describes Pembina Institute as the "ecological voice" of the Province of Alberta and provides a good overview of our continued commitment to responsible oilsands development.
We are always interested in your comments about how we can improve our site and questions you might have about oilsands development. By the way, our oilsands research is funded by grants and donations, and we would like to do more of it, so if our work is of value to you, please feel free to donate!
Simon Dyer is the deputy executive director of the Pembina Institute. He is based in Edmonton.
