Oil Drilling and Pollution

One of the last of the world’s true wilderness, the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge is “one of the largest sanctuaries for Arctic animals, (where)… it is a vital birthing ground for polar bears, grizzlies, Arctic wolves, caribou, and the endangered shaggy ox” (Document E). By drilling for oil on this land, we would potentially endanger the wildlife and the

Oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a very controversial topic. On one end you have the people who want to drill for oil to help out our economy, and on the other end there are the environmentalists and the Alaskan natives who do not want their land destroyed. Our economy needs help; oil prices keep rising, gas prices have reached an all time high, and America is depending too much on foreign trade. Drilling for oil in Alaska will solve these problems. There are ways of drilling without disturbing the environment and keeping the animals in their original habitat.

No other threat to the human race is more imminent than the threats that are Global Warming and Climate change. Global Warming and Climate Change are ruining the planet and will eventually kill the entire human species along with every other species on earth if they are not stopped. For years, lawmakers in our country have been trying to get bills passed and have succeeded but it is not enough as the climate changes and causes natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornados that displace millions of people per year. Global warming is increasing the average temperature on the earth, which in turn impacts biodiversity and the climactic changes. Global Warming and Climate Change will continue to ravage the planet today, tomorrow, and every day after that if the human race does not come together, not only as a country, but as a planet.

Many seafood companies prices fluctuate because a whole number of reasons. Have you ever thought why though? They even have to take some foods completely off their menus. A lot of the time this is because of an oil spill that kills so much of the environment that a lot of the sea animals die or even become endangered. The BP Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 is a great example of this. It spilled 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 87 days. The area of the spill alone had over 8,000 species, which already had 39 endangered species and added 14 new species to the endangered list. Not only did we lose animals but “Eleven people died as a result of the accident and 17 others were injured”(BP Staff).

Environmentalists are one the biggest critics against the notion of increasing domestic oil drilling. By increasing the amount of drilling we do in the United States, we increase the risk of disasters like the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Disasters are hardly the only source of economic damage either, to find oil reserves under the ocean, seismic waves are generated into the ground. These waves bounce off the ground back up to the ship, where computers and scientist can use the results to make educated guesses on whether or not oil is located under the surface. These seismic waves can wreak havoc with marine animals like whales; where in one case over 100 whales beached themselves to get away from the painful experience (Nixon). Using seismic waves does not even guarantee that oil might be located underneath the surface, the only way to tell is to actually drill into the potential finds causing even more destruction for what might be for no gain. Once oil is found and drilling has begun, the amount of damage done to the environment can become unimaginable. The recent example is that of the Deepwater

     Most individuals may think that drilling and transporting oil on the ANWR will put many animals in danger, when in all reality the animals and their environment will be subjected to little or no danger. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, a great deal of oil drilling experience has already been learned in the Arctic area because of previous drilling done at Prudhoe Bay, which has taught oil companies extensive safety precautions in the drilling and transporting of oil. Prudhoe Bay which is only couple miles from the ANWR and currently Americas largest source of oil is said to rival the amount of oil on the ANWR. Moreover, the ANWR stretches a vast 19 million acres and the only land that is going to be affected by the drilling is a mere 1.9 million acres, called the 1002 area. That is only 2% of the ANWR region. Of the 1.9 million acres only 2000 of those acres will actually be utilized for drilling purposes. Conclusively, this should in no way endanger the animals in this area.

Pipelines and oil-drilling platforms will harm caribou, polar bears, and millions of migrating birds (Come on in.: 38). Whenever some country drills for oil it is more likely than not for that country to have an oil spill. Oil spills are deadly to animals, hard to clean up, and it takes the land thousands of years to recover. The United States has already had one major oil spill off the coast of Alaska in Prince William Sound. If another large oil spill occurred on the water it would have a substantial effect on whales and other marine wildlife (Experts say Alaska Oil Drilling Hurts Wildlife: 43). There are over 130 bird species that find breeding, nesting, or resting places on the coastal plain (Defenders of Wildlife).

Fracking has always been a problem, but seems to become more of a problem as time goes on. Although gas, oil, and coal are necessities for living, there is a better way to obtain these substances instead of fracking.

Worries with the earth have been up front in the United States. Particularly during the presidential race, numerous natural issues are at the bleeding edge of endless discussions. There is an accord between gatherings that residential vitality creation must keep on expanding, yet there are clashing assessments as to where that vitality generation ought to originate from. Should we utilize non-renewable assets or put resources into new and imaginative renewable vitality sources? Our reliance on outside oil puts the U.S. in an exceptionally powerless position on both the political and sparing fronts. Incalculable studies have been led supporting both contentions. While our surroundings is a noteworthy thought for figuring out which sources to use, the monetary ramifications should likewise be weighed. Renewable vitality sources could last uncertainly, however should be repaired and/or supplanted sooner or later. One distinct option for renewable vitality is a practice called "Fracking". Fracking is slang for pressure driven breaking. It is regularly depicted as a strategy used to discharge petroleum, characteristic gas (counting shale gas, tight gas and coal crease gas), or different substances for extraction (Philippe Charlez, 1997).

Fracking is becoming increasingly prevalent in today's society as a means to extract an increasingly rare resource from our environment. Despite the many arguments made in its favor by oil companies and supporters of such company’s hydraulic fracturing or fracking is harmful to people, the environment, and should be prohibited. In this paper the reasons given for fracking being beneficial are untrue. Explanations why the harm done by fracking outweighs the good will be given. There will be evidence shown for the damage hydraulic fracturing does to people and the environment.

There are so many consequences because of global warming and humans polluting. As a result of global warming, the polar bear habitat is getting demolished. The warmer temperatures are melting the ice in the Arctic and North Pole. Polar bears are travelling miles and miles to find ice. Polar bears live, eat, and raise their cubs on Arctic ice, which is breaking up and melting at an alarming rate. Year by year, this problem will get worse and worse. Humans and factories throw away their waste in the ocean and it goes in the water the fish and animals drink. Polar bears eat fish and they are affected by this polluted water as well. Hunters kill many animals including the polar bears and it’s decreasing their population. When polar bear population decreases, other animal populations will rise and the animal chain will change. We should not let global warming take over our species and destroy the animal chain. Polar bears are one of the many animals affected and if there are too many animals affected, the whole animal chain will fall apart. Research shows that, even if steps are taken to reduce emissions now, gases already in the atmosphere will continue to heat up the earth for another 40 to 50 years. Scientific statistics indicate they may suffer extinction by year 2100. We still have many years to make a

The Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge is one of America's last great wilderness areas. It is home to many animals such as polar bears, wolves, and grizzly bears, caribou herds, snow geese, musk oxen, and dozens of other species. If your oil companies keep drilling in the Arctic, most of these beautiful creatures will die, and some will become extinct.

The polar bear lives up in the Arctic region where global warming and climate change are melting the ice caps that the bears thrive on. They use the ice as a platform from hunting and rest. The random pocket holes in the ice, where the seals pop up at, is where the polar bear catches its prey. With this reduction of ice, “the abundance of seals, and increases the amount of energy and time needed for hunting, leaving less energy for reproduction” (Endangered Species and Habitats).

Polar bears are the most known animals for the impacts of climate change on species. Global warming has been most prominent in the Arctic, and this trend is expected to continue. Their dependence on sea ice makes them highly vulnerable to a changing climate. Polar bears greatly rely on the sea ice environment for traveling, hunting, mating, resting, and in some areas, maternal dens (WWF). Specifically, they depend heavily on sea ice-dependent prey such as seals. Additionally, their long generation time and low reproductive rate may limit their ability to adapt to changes in the environment. Every time people breathe or burn something, oxygen in the air is converted to carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is used by plants to breathe and is converted back to oxygen, creating a cycle. If there is an increase in oxygen burning, for example, burning a lot of coal or oil to generate electricity or run cars, and cut down trees, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air is increased. This makes the air thicker and warms up the earth. The amount of warming is only a few degrees but it is enough to disturb the fragile balance of nature, which in turn will melt the polar ice, raise sea levels, cause violent hurricanes and endanger species such as polar bears. The polar bears are just one example of endangered animals because of the high demand of human need for energy which is acquired by burning fossil fuels.

Have you ever wondered how many people there are in the world? This beautiful place called earth is home to billions of humans, and human-kind is not alone. Although at times we may forget that we have several different species living with us, not only do different species live with us but they are part of the circle of life that is the root of our existence. For many years’ people have been releasing excessive amounts of CO2 into the earth, with little to no consideration of the effects it may have on surrounding environments. Exploiting natural resources to leave nothing behind except for oil spills and other environmentally dangerous components. Corporations need to be held to higher expectations with more regulations, there needs to be a government that will enforce these regulations. Who decides our government? People do, local communities vote for who runs their city, state, and country. Communities can help spread awareness and demand cleaner energy, stricter laws, and reduce their carbon footprint.