Oil Drilling Essay examples

Still people make the argument that oil is just too important to stop drilling and that if anything we should drill more. Again author Margaret Haerens talks about how “According to the nation academy of Sciences, current cleanup methods can only remove a small fraction of the oil spilled into the ocean, leaving the remaining oil to continue affecting ocean ecosystems over time” (126). The long term impacts of offshore spills continue to corrupt the oceans and who knows when they will completely be gone. The effects of the oil directly on sea life such as sea birds, fish, shellfish, and other sea life are extremely dangers. “Studies have shown that tiny amounts of oil – as little as one part per billion – can harm pink salmon and cause their eggs to fail” (Haerens Margaret). Imagine swimming in the ocean when a large pool of toxic oils comes floating along right into you when you are trying to enjoy a day at the beach. Not only is offshore drilling have one of the longest lasting ecological impacts on society and living things on and off shore, it effects our economy as well.

Humans are a poisonous sludge, slowly poisoning ourselves and all other inhabitants. There are many ways we do this, offshore oil drilling being one of them. Offshore oil drilling is the process of drilling into the earth and pulling up petroleum, a natural fuel source made of decomposed organisms. While there are many positive effects, there are too many negative ones for oil drilling to continue. Offshore oil drilling is too dangerous to be considered safe for use in the ecosystem. Not only is it too dangerous, oil rigs are made in an environment many would deem too hazardous for settling any type of structure. Oil drilling kills many people each year and pollutes the marine environment, killing the oceans natural inhabitants.

Offshore oil drilling is a controversial topic because when oil spills, it does extensive amounts of damage to the environment. Countries capable of mining oil in the ocean reap the economic benefits in addition to reducing their dependency on external oil. While it is uncontroversial that offshore drilling is a massive boon for those countries, the environmental consequences of a spill also affect the economic welfare of nearby residents. Oil contaminates animals through a process called biomagnification, where chemicals progressively become more detrimental to the animals the higher they are on the food chain. When oil spills into the ocean, it impairs the growth of native species and deteriorates the ecosystem. As a result, the livelihood of people in the tourist industry, fisherman, and shrimpers is crippled and may take decades to recover.

There are so many reasons why pollution in Oceans water are the worst in the world. Oil is a Natural resource that most people use, it is found on certain areas in the world such as the bottom of Oceans. Oils spills can be involved as the result of deliberate sabotage or illegal dumping. Depending on the location and the condition, they have several techniques can be used to clean up the oil spills. 37 million gallons of oils is spilled in the Oceans each year. Most consequences of water pollution is caused by mishandling of oil products Proper disposal and recycling of used oils can go along way to help to prevent oil pollution in the water. In conclusion oil spills are so dangerous animals and maybe peolpe could die of oil pollution in waters.

The demand for oil is ever expanding as the world’s energy needs continue to increase resulting in companies striving to meet the demand for oil production. The huge costs of oil importation are what ultimately push the need to tap into our backyard rather than import oil from countries around the world for significantly higher prices. While oil corporations can be credited with providing people minimized costs of products due to their offshore oil drilling efforts. The fact of the matter is that having a cleaner environment is seen as being more vital than having a cheaper product at the cost of an unhealthier environment. Though, many experts agree that the potential risks of offshore oil drilling are often exaggerated, recent disasters such as the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill have proven

Throughout history, humans have had many adverse effects on the ocean. However, in the past century, a new threat to the ocean has arisen. Oils spills are one of the most dangerous human effects on the ocean, partly because they’re so difficult to reverse after they’ve happened, and because many of the chemicals that get released into the water are extremely toxic to a lot of creatures. Oil spills are usually caused by two ships colliding with each other, a ship colliding with another object, or as in the case of the BP oil spill, an explosion.

Oil spills are a worldwide issue- widely known for polluting the oceans, infecting plant life, and killing many different species of animals. In fact, during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, approximately 205.8 million gallons of oil was pumped into the Gulf of Mexico (“A Deadly…” 2011). Over 82,000 birds, 6,165 sea turtles, and around 25,900 different species of marine mammals were either harmed or killed because of The Deepwater Horizon spill (“A Deadly…” 2011). Not only are oil spills a huge biological issue, the mere production of oil has a negative effect on many ecosystems: contaminating oceans, air, soil, and killing many species of flora and fauna.

For example, each drill well generates thousands of gallons in drilling materials, called drilling muds, which lubricate drill bits and maintain pressure. These drilling muds contain toxic metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, and can bio accumulate or become concentrated into the bodies of the marine organisms. Furthermore, water extracted from an oil well, along with oil and gas, contains benzene, arsenic, and varying amounts of radioactive pollutants. These chemicals are incredibly toxic. Every oil platform discharges hundreds of thousands of gallons of this byproduct every day, contaminating waters both local and those that are down current from the discharge. On average, oil and gas exploration wells spew roughly 50 tons of nitrous oxide, 13 tons of carbon monoxide, 6 tons of sulfur oxide, and 5 tons of volatile organic chemicals (Savitz 1).In March of 1984, in the Prince William Sound of Alaska, a ship named the Exxon Valdez struck a coral reef and spilled 38 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean. As many as 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 12 river otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles, 22 orcas, and an unknown number of salmon and herring died because of the oil spill. The damage and cleanup costs following the Exxon Valdez spill were so extensive Exxon paid out more than one billion dollars to federal and state

Moreover, According to New England Aquarium (2016), when whales, dolphins and porpoises surface to breathe, oily water can cover their blowholes and enter their lungs, making breathing difficult. Oil can get into animals’ eyes, potentially causing

Oil spills damages the turtle airways when they surface on top of water contaminated by oil slick. Their feed is affected also affected by oil spills and thus poisons the turtles.  The areas that the turtles nest in the beaches are sandy. Oil contamination on the nesting sites leads to contamination of the eggs inhibiting proper development. Fish, one of the largest populations in the marine life ingest oil through their gills. This ingestion often leads to enlargement of the liver and reproduction capacity. In the Gulf of Mexico, there is an alarming rate at which the fish are dying due to the

Oil spills usually occur as temporary accidents, while pollution from trucks happens every day. Therefore, offshore drilling does not contaminate the water as badly as the United States thinks.

These compounds vary and contain various levels of toxicity for both marine life and humans.9 The VOCs hexane, heptane, octane, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene are commonly known to make up approximately 15% of crude oil.10 This subset list of compounds have the ability to have a high solubility in water.10 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent some of the most toxic constituents which crude oil consists of, these have the ability to bio-concentrate marine invertebrates.11 PAHs will often comprise up to 10% of the total organic compounds found within crude oil, providing insight into the general distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons found in aquatic environments after an oil spill occurs.11 With these compounds found within the ocean waters after a spill, can pose great threats to marine life and wild life which live and survive within these

By drilling, we are destroying homes of animals, reducing spaces for them to live, and forcing them to move elsewhere and adapt to new surroundings. Many species in the water were covered in oil because they weren’t able to get out quick enough, and now aren’t able to clean themselves of something so toxic without the help of people. “Much of the spill [from the Deepwater Horizon rig] stayed below the surface in a drifting underwater plume, which couldn't be skimmed or burned off” (Grose 15). This means many animals were coated in the oil and were greatly affected by death by intoxication or physical changes from not being able to properly rid themselves of this.

This may lead to disastrous consequence for marine animals.When exposed to oil, adult fish may experience reduced growth, enlarged livers, changes in heart and respiration rates, fin erosion, and reproduction impairment(National 1).In addition to that it even impacts on human

Oil spills are a major form of pollution, they are a result of human negligence, natural disasters, or defects in pipelines. Oil spills deposit crude oil, which is composed mainly of hydrocarbons, or distilled products such as gasoline, kerosene, or diesel fuels into different environments. There are four main types of crude oil spills that affect environments differently; Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D. If exposed, to Class A, Class B , or Class C, humans may experience toxic effects such as; severe respiratory distress, increased heart rates, dizziness, and anemia.