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Impacts Of Rock Mining Industries

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Impacts of Rock-Mining Industries
Industrial development and population growth have created a surge in global demand for energy. According to ”Annual Emissions of Carbon Dioxide from the Combustion of Fossil Fuels and Production of Cement by Region: 1850-2006,” human population has been growing carbon emission. Moreover, the tension in the Middle East and the sharp rise in oil prices since the 1990’s had Western countries like the US scrambling to secure alternative energy sources. While solar and wind energy is flourishing, energy industries have pursued more aggressive means of tapping the earth’s resources. Continued mining, drilling, and especially hydraulic fracturing have been a “game changer” for the US. Although industrialized energy development is making great strides in harnessing the earth’s energy resources, it is also threatening the natural environment and the quality of life in many communities. “Fracking” refers to hydraulic or hydro fracturing of rock formations to stimulate and extract natural gas and oil. The process involves drilling down through sedimentary rocks for thousands of feet, then sideways for miles, pumping millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure to open fractures in the rocks, allowing gas and oil to flow. This relatively new technology is also being used for resource exploration by geothermal developers. Prior to fracking, it was too expensive to exploit “shale gas”, but it is now being viewed as a way for

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