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Offshore Drilling

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Offshore Drilling
Offshore Drilling Does anything out weigh the importance of our planet’s health? You would be surprised by the number of people who look the other way when it comes to keeping the planet clean. Offshore drilling is just one of the major environmental issues that has existed for many years and still continues to be a problem. The topic of offshore drilling not only touches on environmental issues but also political, economic, and ethical issues. All of these tie into the huge debate over offshore drilling and its impacts on the environment. But when the human race depends on oil, how can we ignore the fact of drilling for oil off the coast of our land. Investing in greenhouse energy is just one of several ways to help keep the environment clean and continue to get the energy we need. America needs to realize that offshore drilling is a leading factor in pollution and we can’t keep collecting oil like this forever, we need to discontinue this process of drilling off shore and expand our possible options of renewable energy. So you might be asking yourself “how does offshore drilling affect our environment?” It all starts with finding the oil. The oil companies use a system like sonar that sends out waves, these “Seismic waves used to locate oil can harm sea mammals and disorient whales. ExxonMobil recently had to suspend exploration efforts near Madagascar after more than 100 whales beached themselves” (HowStuffWorks). Just the thought of going to your local beach to find a whale washed up on the shore helpless is scary and sad. The seismic surveys designed to estimate the size of an oil and gas reserve generate enough force to damage or kill fish eggs and larvae. They also can leave some fish without hearing leaving them unable to fend off predators. After finding the location of oil they have to clear out the sea floor of the location to begin a process of laying out pipes for the “rigs”. While reading in an article called “The Environmental Impacts of


Cited: Davis, Lee A. Environmental Disasters. New York: Facts on File, 1998. 133-80. Print. Haerens, Margaret. Offshore Drilling. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2010. Print. HowStuffWorks. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. . Klare, Michael T. Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America 's Growing Petroleum Dependency. New York: Metropolitan /Henry Holt &, 2004. Print. "The Environmental Impacts of Offshore Oil Drilling." HubPages. Web.26 Oct. 2012. . Welch, Rick Jervis, William M., and Richard Wolf. USA Today. Gannett. Web.27 Oct. 2012. .
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