The report, "Getting the Balance Right: The Oil Sands, Exporting and Sustainability," says oil sands producers must continue to develop new technologies and processes that reduce emissions during extraction. At the same time, the report suggests, efforts need to be made to reduce long-term global demand for oil products -- and vehicles are an important part of that consumption.

"The perceived Achilles heel of the oil sands is its higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions. But on a wells-to-wheels basis, oil sands are not significantly dirtier than oil from many other global sources," said Len Coad, co-author of the report and director of environment, energy and transportation policy for the Conference Board of Canada, the Edmonton Journal reports.

Greenhouse emissions from the oil sands have tripled since 1990 to about 40 megatons of carbon a year. But Canadian transportation emissions have grown by nearly the same amount -- 38.6 megatons -- during that time, and "a portion of the growth is attributed to the transition from cars to trucks (including sport utilities and crossovers)," the report says.

"In the interest of evenhanded treatment across economic sectors and long-term competitiveness for both Canada and the United States, improvements are needed in every step of the energy value chain, and reducing emissions from vehicles must be a part of any climate-change plan," said Coad.

Oil-sands production accounts for about 5 percent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. With production expected to double over the next decade to meet North American demand, this share is likely to grow, even as emissions per barrel are reduced.

Canada and the United States will continue to rely on oil products for the foreseeable future, and the oil sands "offer advantages as a preferred supplier for North America," Coad said in a statement.

The International Energy Agency, in a November report, predicted oil-sands production rising to 2.1 million barrels per day in 2015 and 3.9 million barrels per day by 2030.

According to the IEA, the "vast bulk" of Canada's 178 billion barrels of proven oil reserves come from oil-sands deposits, which are more costly to extract than conventional oil and produce 20 percent higher carbon dioxide emissions.

The Conference Board of Canada's report calls for a number of measures to lower emissions, including carbon taxes, cap-and-trade systems, higher vehicle fuel standards, stronger energy standards for buildings, urban re-design and investment in public transit.

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