Analysis Of Hope It's In Your Backyard By Neil Demause

Fracking the Good and The Bad

In the essay, “Hope It’s in Your Backyard,” by Neil deMause, he wrote about the positive and negative factors of fracking and its effect on the world. The ramifications of fracking could be devastating to the earth with regards to natural gas and oil. It is debated that fracking, in the United States, would stimulate economic growth, lower gas prices, create more jobs, and make our country independent for oil and natural gas. The effects of burning fossil fuels is negative to the earth’s climate and the cause of some pollution. Natural gas is cheaper, but its effect on our ecosystem may be devastating. In addition, we depend on oil and natural gas for energy to drive our cars, heat our houses, provide air

deMause wrote, “Of the many troubling side effects of fracking-which run from the ground-water contamination to increased earthquake activity-one of the most worrisome is its impact on climate change” (549). The natural gas technique for extraction is the process of cracking open underground rock layers containing oil and gas deposits and blasting them open with a high pressure chemical slurry. The effects are negative causing water contamination with a possible impact on climate change because of the exploding

The future could be bleak. deMause wrote, “Fifty years from now, are we really going to be wondering if we really screwed up because we went on this big gas boom?” (550). The problem we still face is that we do not know enough about methane to safeguard the future. Climate change is a great concern. Although we do not know the long term effects of fracking for natural gas just the short term effects can be seen. We may be jeopardizing our children’s future. It would be more prudent to understand all we can about fracking before it is expanded across the country. Many believe the short term ramifications of fracking is only the beginning of a devastating destruction of our