Should Countries Drill For Oil In Protected Areas To Reduce Gas Prices?

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Should Countries Drill for Oil in Protected Areas to Reduce Gas Prices?

There is a great debate surrounding the notion of countries opting to drill for oil in protected areas to reduce the cost of gas. On most occasions, the debate gets quite heated, but in reality, there should not be any deliberation, to begin with. There is a reason why all those areas are protected in the first place. That is why people should not even consider drilling for oil in protected areas. There can be far worse consequences than benefits as an outcome of drilling in sheltered areas. These areas are usually inclusive of the natural areas which are comprised of the forests, seas, and so on. These areas mainly keep in balance and run the ecosystem. These protected areas are home to wildlife, and we must give them security. One of the most important factors to keep in mind is that these protected areas are home to many endangered species of animals, plants, and insects, and so on. Thus, tapping these areas will create chaos in the ecosystem. This paper will discuss why drilling in protected areas for oil should be out of the question.

One of the most significant reasons to not drill in protected areas is to preserve a unique flora and fauna of these places. However, if the protected sites are used to drill for oil, that would mean that all the areas will be wiped clean inclusive of the wildlife. Further, when an area is cleared out, and industries are built, that means that there will be roads and traffic as well. All of this will lead to more pollution, smoke, and noise. Let us suppose again that somehow, the protected area is preserved during the oil drill, but there is still the need to transport the oil (Cronshaw and Grafton p.182). That would mean that there will be a need to make oil pipelines on a highway through which the oil can be transported. That will also have an extensive ecological impact as in the process of building the roads and pipeline; many old trees will need to be cut out of the pathway.

The noise and pollution that will result by tapping into protected areas is not the only worry that our world will be facing. There is also a significant risk of water contamination. Even if the company is very careful, there is no saying that they will be able to stop the wasteful contaminated water from soaking into the soil. The contaminated water will become part of underground water supplies. This will not just impact wildlife, but the communities and societies living near that area will also suffer. Water contamination is one of the greatest causes of dangerous diseases and bacteria build-up. It is a fact that most harmful pests, bacteria, and deadly viruses thrive in contaminated water. So, another reason among many to not support the drilling of the protected areas.

Lastly, there is also a huge risk of oil spills. It is a fact that whenever there is an oil drill, an oil spill is inevitable. According to the research, around 70 oil spills occur in America daily. Regardless of how small or big an oil spill is, it still has a significant impact on the ecosystem (Bilgen and Sarıkaya p.639). When it comes to bigger spills, a lot of wildlife and ecosystem gets wiped out. To make things worse, it takes a lot of time to recover from such a loss, and land left behind is no longer suitable for the eco-system and wildlife to thrive or grow. Oil spills are dangerous for both the land and wildlife.

Keeping all the above-mentioned factors in mind, it is easy to say that no one should even think about drilling for oil in protected areas. There are other ways of drilling for oil without the disruption of all the natural areas. Furthermore, scientists need to work on figuring out ways to reduce gas prices without disturbing the world's eco-system. Companies should work on finding renewable and alternative energy sources. Regardless of the circumstances, no country should ever be permitted to drill for oil in a protected area as the dire consequences are much higher than the benefits.

Works Cited

Bilgen, Selcuk, and İkbal Sarıkaya. "New horizon in energy: Shale gas." Journal of natural gas Science and Engineering 35 (2016): 637-645.

Cronshaw, Ian, and R. Quentin Grafton. "Economic benefits, external costs and the regulation of unconventional gas in the United States." Energy policy 98 (2016): 180-186.