Executive Summary
The Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) is a beautiful 19.6 million acre coastal plain, and is located in the Northeastern part of Alaska. ANWR is home to numerous species of wildlife and one of the largest untapped oil preserves in the United States. There is an immense debate between the opposing environmentalists and the politicians who want to drill for oil on a section of ANWR, which is only 1.8% of the refuge. Environmentalists who oppose drilling for oil in Alaska say the wildlife and the native populations are threatened by drilling for oil in ANWR, even though most of the natives are strongly in favor of drilling. ANWR could save the US from having to import $800 billion worth
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In 2004, the US imported an average of 58% of its oil and during certain months up to 64%. That equates to over $150 billion in oil imports and over $170 billion including refined petroleum products, which is approximately $19.9 million dollars an hour, according to ANWR supporters. Current legislation calls for responsible development on no more than 2000 acres of the 1.5 million acre coastal plain. That is 0.01% of ANWR's total acreage of 19.6 million. The remaining 99.9% would remain off limits to development (anwr.com).
We will explore Utilitarian, Deontology, and Lockean environmental views and determine whether or not wildlife and petroleum development and production can coexist.
The Utilitarian View of ANWR
The Utilitarian belief asks the question, what would be the best for the greatest amount of people? Or in other words, what would be best for the majority? In our natural history, Utilitarianism has had a huge impact on how the American society operates. All the decisions, as a nation, are decided by the majority. The most popular example of this would be the voting for a new president to lead the county.
Every four years, an election is held by certain to determine which political candidate will be the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land, A Photographic Journey is an editorial that argues in favor of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and how it must be protected from the dangers of human industrialization and oil exploration that would surely destroy the land. The author of the passage dwelves into great detail about the vast, untouched beauty of the Arctic Refuge and how its majesty is among the greatest things he has witnessed. Banerjee, however, fails to support his argument using substantial facts that might otherwise sway skeptics. For instance, Banerjee states: “I was saddened to think of the tragedy that might occur if this great wilderness was consumed by a web of roads and pipelines, drilling rigs and industrial facilities”. The author here uses an ethos and pathos standpoint, coming from the perspective of personal experience and opinion of how distraught he should feel if the land were
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.
Drilling oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a serious issue for environmentalists and for the future of the United States. Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be opened to oil drilling? This paper will debate whether or not we should allow Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be opened to oil drilling. This will also show the impact it has on the environment, and I will show a critical analysis of the current issue of whether or not to drill.
nature, not to be opened to oil drilling and possible development. The wildlife debate has focused mainly on the areas of importance to the Porcupine Caribou, and other species such as polar bears, grizzly bears, wolves and migratory birds are also at a great risk.
In his Foreword to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land, A Photographic Journey, Jimmy Carter effectively convinces his audience that the wilderness of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industrial purposes. He first appeals to his readers' emotions through a detailed account of his personal experience in the Arctic Refuge. He goes on to refute those pushing for the development of the Arctic Refuge by providing an easy solution to their reason. Finally, he calls his readers to action by saying that we should keep one of America's last great wildernesses intact.
Another reason against drilling much research has shown that all the oil that will be produced will only last for about six months. The fact that the British Petroleum has greater potential to produce more oil and natural gasses (Markey 2004) than ANWR so why bother with it , supporting the case that drilling is pointless. Then there is the percentage that after oil production of ANWR, the foreign oil dependency will only drop from 56% to 50% (Markey 2004).Then the oil produced would reach the market ten years later after it was produced, leaving the gas price decrease to one percent(Lamar and Markey 12). There was also the reality of natural gases. ANWR does not confirm any sign of them, when President Bush ordered exploration for natural gasses (Klyza and Ford-Martin 1).Again proving drilling pointless.
America should drill in Alaska for oil because it's good for the economy. Document C says the United States uses more oil than it could find domestically, even if we were to drill on all public lands. The United States uses 25% to 30% of the oil produced
Utilitarianism is a philosophical theory. It concerns how to evaluate a large range of things that involve choices communities or groups face. These choices include policies, laws, human’s rights, moral codes,
Oil is one of the world’s most used natural resources and America uses a large margin of it. The United States uses 30 percent of the world’s oil and imports most of it. There have been many ideas to reduce the amount of oil the United States imports including one that states The United States should drill in the ANWR of Alaska. The ANWR is a 19 million acre chunk of land that is home to many animals such as bears and otters along the coast. The drilling proposal refers to drilling in about eight percent of the ANWR which is approximately 1.5 million acres. The other rugged terrain would be permanently closed for drilling. This proposed solution is one of the ideas to cut down on the 58 percent of the oil the United States currently imports. As a result of the amount of oil imported into the United States, should the United States drill for oil in Alaska? Drilling for oil in the ANWR could have many pros and cons but would the overall result be a noticeable change for the United States? The United States should not drill in Alaska for oil because of the resulting damage to the natural environment, negative pull on the economy, and how it would affect the native Alaskans.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, is a refuge geared toward preserving national wildlife in northeastern Alaska. ANWR is about 19 million acres, in space, and contains a potential drilling spot for oil and petroleum. The potential drilling spot is a small area known as the 10-02 Area. It is only 1.5 million acres, or 8%, of ANWR, would even be considered for development (What is ANWR). The controversy surrounding ANWR is whether to drill or not to drill into the 10-02 area. Some people want to preserve the wilderness and to find more fuel-efficient technologies. Others want to lower gas prices and to create more job opportunities. If the government decides to drill for oil, it could possibly lead to about 17 billion barrels of oil,
The damage caused by extraction of these oil sands is not a theoretical problem. Over the past sixteen years more than two million acres of the Canadian boreal forest has been cleared to extract these sands (Nikiforuk). Not only does the extraction process cut down trees it also produces more greenhouse gasses than the extraction of crude oil, and leaves polluted residue across the extraction sight. These contaminants then spread to surrounding bodies of water. Once these contaminants have reached these water supplies they have an immediate effect on wildlife. Fish have been found with cancerous growths in rivers near extraction sites (Forrest). From this we should infer that not only has this oil mining had a negative on wildlife, but it could also pose health risks to local residents near the extraction sites. Though there is little Americans can do to prevent Canada’s current extraction. By not installing the
Since 1987, the issue of whether or not drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) should be allowed has been one of the concerns of political figures, as well as many Americans. This issue has been fought before the Senate at least three times since 1995. Each time it has been debated, the House has ruled in favor to drill, but the President has vetoed the proposal. Clinton was the last President to do so.
Utilitarianism comes from the word ‘utility’ or usefulness. The idea is that as long as something done is useful to society at large, it is moral no matter what had to be done to achieve it. It is the view of the best consequences for the most amount of people.
We are paying the consequences from past generation’s inability to make the right but hard choices, in order to protect and preserve our environment. The NRDC website lists the top global warming symptoms as melting glaciers, rising sea levels, severe weather patterns, the human health, and wildlife. (Consequences of Global Warming). Drilling in ANWR would cause horrifying situations for the wildlife ecosystem and inescapable affects on life in America and around the world, as we know it. In the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s annual report and recommendations to the US Congress, they revealed the astounding fact that, “The Artic Refuge is the only conservation system unit that protects, in an undisturbed condition, a complete