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Ethical Issues In The Great Lakes

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The environment of which one may consider as nature, their surroundings, or habitat, is critical to maintain in order for its components and future generations to meet their needs. In many cases, the environment can be argued as a scientific object as it is oftentimes observed based on the principles of the natural sciences. Therefore, the environment has scientific implications that affects its’ components, which further validates that it is a scientific object. The Great Lakes is an exquisite body of water located in the upper midwest of the United States. It is the home of many wildlife and important to nearby communities. In 1953, two exposed oil pipelines, “Line 5”, owned by Canadian company Enbridge, Inc., was installed at the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. The biodiversity existent in the Great Lakes and its’ nearby communities are at great risk due to constant oil spills.
The Great Lakes, as an environment for many, is a scientific object as it is observed based on scientific principles, especially by those who are advocating against the pipelines. The simple scientific notion that oil and water does not mix urges activism which indicates that there is an ethical framework. The scientific empirical evidence that oil spills are dangerous and a threat to …show more content…

According to Lisa Sideris, “scientific reality gives us clear guidance on moral issues”. Thus, if knowledge is unified, it is significantly easier to achieve progress and move closer to sustainability. In contrary, science may also not be an effective narrative in regards to this issue because there is a belief that the “efficacy of scientific progress actually decreases environmentally friendly behavior” (Sideres). Therefore, if many believe in the power of science, the population might solely depend on nature, through science, to solve itself, thus, neglecting activism and

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Canadian company TransCanada hopes to build Keystone XL a pipeline that carries Canadian tar sand oil from Canadian border to the Golf Coast. According to Derber “the pipeline extracts some of the dirtiest oil on the planet, a process that sends many polluting chemicals into the ground waters and releases methane, the most potent greenhouse gas, into the air, creating one of the greatest climate threat” (p. 115). A leak from a pipeline carrying the tar sand oil could cause environmental damage and pollute our drinking water and agricultural irrigation. The builders of the Keystone XL Pipeline are wilders. According to Derber, “environmental wilding in the natural environment, such as reckless polluting that causes global warming” (p. 11).

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Wilder’s essay introduces every possible issue that can arise from Keystone XL pipeline, but my focus is towards climate change. She argues that the construction and refining the dirty oil will increases climates change effect. Why should Americans shoot an arrow that will be a harm to them? We risk reaching higher atmospheric temperature, serious droughts, and floods due to the changing climate. That is not the only way climate change will affect communities, but it will also have an impact on oil spills near communities.

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One of the most controversial projects for the United States to decide on was whether or not to build the Keystone pipeline. This topic forces the government to decide if economic development is worth the cost of endangering the environment. Though this pipeline will allow the United States to rely less on foreign oil, the pipeline’s lasting effects prove to be a factor that cannot be easily overlooked. The Keystone pipeline should not be built because it endangers the environment and has the ability to create catastrophic damages through pollution and habitat desecration. Pollution is a major factor that has to be considered when referring to the Keystone pipeline.

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For centuries the United States has been a beacon of hope for environmentalism, and it is imperative for our country that we preserve this identity. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or ANWR is in the secluded northeastern corner of Alaska and could contain large reserves of oil in the Prudhoe Bay region. The question of whether or not to drill for oil has been a controversial topic in American politics for decades, though the evidence will show that drilling for oil is a mistake for this country. This is because it will devastate and destroy the fragile environment. Additionally, drilling in Prudhoe Bay will not solve our oil problems.

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Another issue among the Keystone pipeline is the health and safety issues that it provides through its existence. Thoreau mentions in his essay that, “If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man,” (Thoreau, 956) which alludes to the fact that humans will die if they live with harmful effects over the years. The activists of the pipeline have mentioned multiple times to the government that the water supply will be contaminated. This is shown when an article writes, “The proposed pipeline route passes through the Ogallala Aquifer... A spill in this important body of water would contaminate drinking water and lead to serious health concerns and complications,” (All Risk, No Reward) which explains why so many activists are protesting this build.

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The water emergency that is at present holding inhabitants of Flint, Michigan is a standout amongst the most lamentable difficulties of late circumstances. It is all the more disastrous for being completely preventable. The hot-off-the-squeeze narrative Here's to Flint investigates the occasions which prompt this calamity, and offers a pressing and animating picture of common nationals who are intrepid in facing power. It started as a cost-cutting measure sanctioned by the city's crisis administration office.

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It’s important for the United States to produce and export oil because if we don’t, the Middle East and Russia will capitalize on the product and they will become stronger and richer countries. One of the ways that the United States can be an economically strong country is to reopen the Keystone pipeline and also allow states to have the power to generate their own oil. The opposition believes that pipelines have posed a huge risk to wildlife and the surrounding environment. The Key Stone pipeline has too many hurdles to go through; therefore, wildlife activists are against this project.

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It is estimated to cost over 3.7 billion (Yan). And the project is already 60 percent complete (Energy Transfer Partners). A pipeline that is said to create 8,000 to 12,000 construction jobs and spawn the birth of safe oil transportation (Yan). As for you and me gas prices will drop significantly and we will witness an economical boom. Why end construction on The Dakota Access Pipeline now?

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Thesis Statement and Introduction: In this paper, I will argue that the Dakota pipeline should remain untouched because of the detrimental effects it could have on the citizens in each state, especially within indigenous tribes. The Dakota Pipeline is a 1,172 mile-long underground oil pipeline residing in the United States. It runs in the Bakken shale oil fields in northwest North Dakota and stretches through South Dakota and Iowa to the oil tank farm near Illinois. Together, along with the Energy Transfer Crude Oil Pipeline from Patoka to Nederland, Texas, it forms the Bakken system.

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Even after all of these years, the different practices Native Americans do have benefited the land around them. However, with the completion of construction of the rest of the Dakota Access Pipeline, toxic spills have, and could possibly cause future soil contamination. This history is the kind of history that brings Americans, and America itself, to the most recent and most talked about dilemma: environmental decay. These toxic problems do not only effect Native Americans, but all Americans, yet there is not a constant high of disapproval within our

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With such a fighting spirit, even the damage of industrialization was no match for it. After using calming and soothing words to describe the beauty of the Arctic Refuge, the author immediately pulls the readers to the harsh reality and blackness of a “web of roads and pipelines, drilling rigs and industrial facilities’. He describes the effects that it will have on the ecosystem and on America’s only Arctic Refuge.

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Science is a controversial topic that has been debated as early as people started to question what humans know about the world. Even today many debate science, and the topic of climate change and this debate goes back to the 20th century where trailblazers tried to wake the public up to the world around them. Science is about evidence, so the fact that it became a political debate is an irrational development. Rachel Carson, a trailblazer of the 20th century, shook the world with her research awakening the American people, stood against all odds, and contributed to today’s society. Rachel Carson was a researcher and was infatuated with nature and very troubled by the damage done by man.

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“The Changing Ethics of Climate Change” by Daniel Mittler is the reintroduction of ethics in climate change. Many in the environmental movement have argued in recent years that we should eliminate ethics out of climate change debate in order to speed up climate action (Mittler, paragraph 1). Many have said it is unnecessary and not important. This is because renewable energies, better-designed cities that allow for reduced car use, and power plant regulations all lead up to better quality of local air, reduce health problems, and make society fitter (Mittler, paragraph 1). However, there has been a revival in arguing for climate action on an ethical basis because of the impact being felt of climate change such as Hurricane Sandy and Super Typhoon

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Therefore, I will examine the consequences of the oil spill and the reactions of the parties involved, such as BP, the government, the states involved, the fisheries and tourism industry and other parties affected by the oil spill. These consequences include environmental damage, litigation, cleaning costs and stricter

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For example, one of the causes that global warming is “Global sea levels have risen about 8 inches since 1870, according to the EPA, and the rate of increase is expected to accelerate in the coming years. If current trends continue, many coastal areas, where roughly half of the Earth's human population lives, will be inundated” (Bradford, “Effects of Global Warming”). The efforts that many environmentalists put on are based on the purpose of a whole living creatures in the world. In the article “Green Guilt,” Stephen T. Asma argues, “…in particular, its feelings of guilt and indignation. Environmentalism, as a substitute for religion, has come to the rescue.

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