Offshore drilling has affected the environmental greatly in the past year. On April 20, 2010, BP suffered from an oil spill that is still affecting us five months later. Recently, Mariner Energy suffered from an oil spill. Although the Mariner Energy oil spill was not as bad as the BP oil spill, it still will have a lasting effect on the environment. Animals such as, birds, turtles, and mammals have been affected by the oil. Many have died but thanks to volunteers, some animals have been saved. It was a huge shocker when the news got around that two oil rigs exploded in one year. As the humans that watch over the earth put in our hands, why would we take part in even the slightest chance of killing our environment that we must live on and our children’s children must live on for generations? With this situation at hand, I recommend that we work harder to find an alternative energy source that will give humans a safe and efficient way to create energy that can power transportation and produce consumer goods.
Any way of transportation involves the use of oil that is drilled from the oil rigs, such as the one that exploded. Transportation is not the only thing used by humans that involves oil. Many of our consumer goods are made with the oil that is drilled. Artificial turf, toilet seats, sun glasses, toys, telephones, (eldr.com) and many more items are made using the oil that now affects our environment and kills our animals. It would be impossible for us to just stop using these items. I understand we are human and we cannot just drop everything and forget about it. An alternative energy source could help us design a new way of making these items. Some energy sources have already been found such as; biomass energy, wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, and hydroelectric energy (Alternative Energy). All of the above energy sources are renewable which is exactly what the environment needs. Marek Walisiewicz, author, states the types of alternative energy and how it would affect and change the world we live in (Alternative Energy). If we can cut back on the amount of energy we use then we can just recycle and reuse. The same concept of recycling and reusing would be used to produce the consumer goods. Most of the trash that gets thrown out by humans can be recycled into difference consumer goods that are needed. This does sound highly unlikely but if we test different options then we can find one that fits our economy and our way of life. Researchers in China recently found a scheme that would reduce the pollutants by 45-50% and would reduce the wastewater by 32-35% (Li). If American follows in their example and come together with other countries, as the world together we could come up with a way of helping the environment in more of an impact.
An option many people may bring up is onshore drilling. I say touché for bring up an excellent point. Onshore drilling does prevent oil spills in the water that are much harder to contain. John A. Sullivan wrote an article that shows the demand for onshore drilling rising by stating, “A role in the Davy Jones ultra-deep natural gas well in the Gulf of Mexico and a forecast for a rise in onshore drilling topped Rowan Companies quarterly earnings call this month” (Natural Gas Week). Onshore drilling decreases the affect on animal life if an oil spill does occur. If an onshore oil plant does, however, leak or cause an oil spill then it would be easier to get to the problem and cap it off before it causes great danger to the life around it.
Onshore drilling may sound like a good idea for containment purposes but if an oil spill does occur, humans would get affected first. The ground would soak up the loose oil and stay there for a while. The ground would be contaminated and we would be unable to use it. Children would have to refrain from playing outside because of toxics that could possibly enter their system and playing in the grass. Gas prices would once again be affected by the oil spill. Christopher Steiner, author of $20 Per Gallon, states that, “You cannot open a newspaper, national or local, that doesn’t feature a prominent story with some angle on gas prices” (1). Many people complain about the increasing gas prices. Which I completely agree but there is a bigger picture to the problem of the oil spills. Humans and animals getting affected and also the major impact the oil will have on our land in a couple of years. Alternative energy could be the solution to the ever growing gas prices and the contamination of the humans and animals.
Alternative energy may be expensive but switching would positively impact the habitat of animals and humans. Contamination would happen on a smaller scale. Alternative energy also gives people the option to choose what type of source they would like to use and best suits the circumstances. Although alternative energy is a big change for America and even the world, it would greatly impact everything around us even if we do not see the change right away. Producing goods and fueling transportation are two of the most important resources in our nation. Alternative energy gives the world a chance to live longer and allows humans to be safer.
Work Cited
"Alterative Energy." Alternative Energy - Wind, Solar, Hydro and Other Alt Energy Sources. 2010. Web. 29 Sept. 2010.
Li, Hui, et al. "Cleaner production alternatives for saponin industry by recycling starch." Resources, Conservation & Recycling 54.12 (2010): 1145+. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources. Web. 29 Sept. 2010.
"Products Made from Oil | ELDR.com." Celebrate Aging! | ELDR.com. ELDR Media, 2008. Web. 29 Sept. 2010.
Steiner, Christopher. $20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better. New York: Grand Central, 2009. Print.
Sullivan, John A. "Rowan CEO: demand rising for DeepWater, onshore drilling rigs." Natural Gas Week 15 Mar. 2010: 7. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources. Web. 29 Sept. 2010.
Walisiewicz, Marek. Alternative Energy. Ed. John Gribbin. New York, NY: DK Pub., 2002. Print. Essential Science.
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