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The US is going to use some source of energy and that will always have some negative effects on the environment. The alternative sources for the energy we need have negative effects on the environment as well. “In 2011 U.S. coal-fired power plants emitted nearly two billion metric tons of greenhouse gases -- roughly eight times the amount produced by mining, refining and burning tar sands”(Biello). Canada is going to develop a pipeline system to export oil whether it’s to the US or other countries, like China, that are trying to get access to this resource.
Nonetheless, James Cameron still achieved his task of raising awareness of the oil sands by creating a close depiction of what the oil sands do to nearby cultures and our environment. The Alberta oil sands and the movie Avatar are very similar in terms of their effects on the ecological sustainability. In both the Avatar and the Alberta oil sands, the biodiversity decreases rapidly solely by the cause of humans. Oil sands are run by companies and require trees and plants to be stipt from land in order to extract oil from the ground.
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).
To extract and produce the oil from the sands, carbon is released into the air 17% more than that of conventional oil. The increasing carbon emissions in the air can speed up the changing climate, and can lead to severe health risks. Pollution is a result of extracting this alternative oil, but
After World War II, civil rights became an increasingly important topic in American politics. The landmark case of Plessy v. Ferguson had set a precedent for legal segregation and Jim Crow laws thrived in the South. Racism ran rampant across the country, affecting the lives of millions. This become increasingly problematic as America tried to convert more nations to democracy but lacked equality at home. President Harry S. Truman recognized this issue, and acknowledged that we could not support democracy in other countries while we allowed legal racism at home.
While drilling, the oil can also pollute the ocean. Everyone is asking ‘Should The United States should Drill for Oil in Alaskan Wilderness?’ The best way to sort this out is by looking at the Economic factors, Environmental Factors, and Other Factors. Drilling in Alaskan wilderness would cause economic problems.
Fracking Fracking is drilling down into earth before high-pressure water mixture goes down directed at rocks to release the gases inside. Water, sand and other chemicals are injected to the rock at high pressure, which allows the gas to come back up and come out of the well where it is collected (BBC News). Fracking is so controversial because it requires enormous amounts of water to extract and is a disaster for the environment. It takes on average 400 hundred tanker trucks to carry water and other supplies to and from the fracking site. It takes 1-8 million gallons of water to complete ONE fracking job.
Throughout the centuries, humans have been attempting to find a way to power homes, cars, and other luxuries in the most efficient way possible. Coal and oil were two major sources that begin being exploited during the industrial revolution. Both have caused great controversy over the years from lawsuits to strikes. A new way to drill oil, hydraulic fracturing, was discovered and was an efficient means of drilling until its effects became prevalent. Also, when coal began to run out, a new method called mountaintop removal took hold, but continues to damage the earth.
Hydraulic Fracking is to retrieve the natural gas. I’m against it because, the higher property values, increasing the taxes. People worry about higher rents and the massive change in the landscape. Starting with efforts during the 1990s to fracture the Barnett Shale in Texas. Shale fracking has crept across the country.
Have you ever thought that fracking should not be allowed and that it could be dangerous for all living creatures. Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc, so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. The process can become dangerous to the environment and all species on the planet. Fracking can have negative effects on human health. Benzene and methane was found in groundwater and aquifers used for drinking water and benzene has been strongly linked with childhood leukemia.
Natural Gas and Fracking:Economic Realities of Alternative Natural gas is a cornerstone of the US economy,providing a quarter of the country’s total energy. However the negative externality is heavy . The increase of energy production brings us environment pollution and economic problems. All these are related to Hydraulic Fracking. Since Hydraulic Fracking was used as a new technique of energy exploitation in 1947, it has eventually accounted for nearly 70% of natural gas development in North America.
Oil fracking has caused a lot of controversy the last couple years. Many believe that it is causing more harm than good. The House Committee of Natural Recourses had an entire meeting discussing oil fracking on federal managed and Native Lands. It also uses an incredible amount of water and chemicals.
Hydraulic fracking has the capabilities to change the United States economy and improve the lives of many people. Fracking produces large amounts of natural gas that can be used as fuel, but because fracking is such a new process, researchers and environmentalists do not yet fully understand the negative effects it can have on our environment over time. Fracking has been linked to the contamination of groundwater and this contamination is a danger to people who live near fracking sites. The process of hydraulic fracking requires the use of hundreds of potentially dangerous chemicals which need to be regulated to keep our environment safe and clean. Hydraulic fracking should be allowed in the United States because it provides a useful resource,
The sun glistened in the daybreak and a dark figure appeared on the foreground, and moved gracefully across the pathway, nearing the bench that presided at my side. My eyes scoured upward as he neared and the sun blinded me, but not before I saw the figure, a man, glance my direction and change his course. He was wrapped in an opaque tunic that countered the illuminated color of his hair, it was a halcyonic gold that glistened against the flare of day. His trousers were khaki color that exalted the man’s frame. Once my eyes cleared and I was able to open them the man was closer than before and I was able to see his face much more clearly.
Besides these benefits, I feel that fracking has too many adverse effects on the environment and communities that lives within the vicinity of fracking sites. I am very shocked by how our society embraces technology without thinking about its unintended impacts on our environment. We rarely focus on better and sustainable alternatives, particularly when developing energy. I am disappointed