of northern Alaska. The part of ANWR that would be used for oil and gas development is considered to contain billions of gallons of oil, along with trillions of cubic feet of natural gas. Along with all the oil and gas, ANWR also contains a fragile ecosystem.The debate on whether or not to drill for the much needed oil has been going on for years. According to the Defenders of Wildlife article, Wildlife Impacts from Oil Drilling in the Refuge, the portion of ANWR set aside for oil and gas development is the 1.5 million acres of coast along the Beaufort Sea. President George W. Bush proposed that the oil found in ANWR would reduce our dependence on foreign oil by one million barrels a day. Is it worth destroying the environment?
According to Jeffery A. Hank's article, ANWR & Oil: What About the Wildlife, drilling in ANWR would provide America with oil and gas, however at the same time it would ruin the beauty of the land. Numerous animals call this land home, and many migrate across it each year. It would be selfish of our government to ruin one of America's last frontiers only for extra oil. It should be no question that the beautiful wildlife and picturesque terrain should stay unharmed from oil rigs.
There are also small communities that call ANWR home; the Gwich'en people and the Inupiat Eskimo tribe. Though the two groups support oil drilling on their land, it may also cause them harm. With the building of oil rigs, many job opportunities will arise for the people. However, the question these groups face is deciding between earning money and preserving land.
You blog on saving ANWR caught my attention because I, myself, am strictly an animal fanatic and extremely interested in environmental issues. Still, you have to look on the other side of the argument. Who would benefit from oil drilling in Alaska? Obviously, the native people would get paid for their land and the thousands of people in America who need the much needed gas to power their transportation, but it could possibly fuel the dying economy. Besides, what stopped us from invading on the animals’ habitat for hundreds of years? Still, I support you 100% on this topic because, like I mentioned before, I am an animal fanatic. Also, how do we benefit from saving the ANWR and the many animals that inhabit it? Plus, we need to lessen the use of oil as it is, therefore, would the salvation of ANWR be a stepping stone in eliminating America’s dependence on oil?
ReplyDeleteWith the extraction of the oil and natural gas contained in ANWR, there would be both positive and negative consequences. Yes, America would benefit from the extra oil, but the animals would definitely not. As mentioned in my initial blog, ANWR is considered one of America's last frontiers. ANWR is still considered a frontier because most of America's land has been taken over with technological innovation, oil rigs, large cities, etc. Recently, America has realized it needs to reduce the use of oil in order to start saving planet Earth. People would benefit through not drilling because they would create less pollution.
ReplyDeleteIt is painful to have to choose between energy and preserving our environment. While I am against destroying unique and rare habitats for the purpose of obtaining oil, I also realize that our entire agriculture system depends on oil. In the report linked at the end of my comment it is explained how about 60% of the human population could not be fed without oil. This is why we must make drastic efforts to replace oil as a source of energy. The ugly truth may be that someday we will have no choice but to extract the remaining oil from these habitats in order to manufacture the needed “green” infrastructure like solar panels and wind turbines. Right now however, drilling in ANWR is just easy oil in comparison to off shore drilling. This is the real reason behind the controversy over the choice to drill there or not.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ecofair-trade.org/pics/en/RajesvariRaina_FINAL_engl.pdf
Though choosing between “earning money and preserving land” can be a very hard choice for some, the answer seems pretty simple to me. Drill for the oil. America is very dependent on oil and forms of technology that depend on oil and not drilling for it where it is bountiful would be a huge mistake and take our nation back in downward spiral. Oil is already becoming rare and expensive, so why make ourselves pay more for what we could have for way cheaper by drilling another hole or two? Yes I know that animals and humans living on the ANWR are going to be affected but they just need to learn to adapt to change. According to the article In The Name of Preserving Nature, “Man MUST “intrude” upon nature if he desires to survive! He must do his best to understand nature, to set goal and to the best of his ability, improve his environment.” To “improve our environment” we need to take advantage of these “billions of gallons of oil, along with the trillions of cubic feet of natural gas” and make the most of it to keep improving our way of life in America.
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