Demand for gas and oil is increasing and so finding new sources in remote and untouched areas is a necessity. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
ESSAY NUMBER 158 FROM OUR BOOK
There is a race for seeking oil and gas resources in remote and previously untouched areas such as Alaska and Antarctica. However, I firmly believe that the disadvantages of tapping these resources outweigh the advantages.
The main downside to extracting oil and gas deposits found in remote and untouched locations is the environmental impact. Regions like Antarctica have a profound impact on the earth’s global climate. For example, the melting of ice and glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctica can lead to rise in the sea level and thus increase the risk of submergence of low-lying islands. Moreover, such activities endanger the unique and exotic flora and fauna of these regions as they lead to destruction of their natural habitats. For example, the Exxon Valdez spill that took place in Alaska killed thousands of marine animals and birds like sea otters, seals, bald eagles, killer whales etcetera.
In addition, this also impacts the economy of these areas because it harms their principal industries like commercial fishing and tourism. Such activities destroy the pristine nature of such regions and thereby reduce their appeal among tourists. Similarly, oil exploration interferes with fishing and thereby might take away local people’s livelihood. Finally, the extraction of fossil fuels in these remote areas is more expensive because of the costs associated with the transportation of these fuels. A lot of infrastructure is required, with pipelines and shipping routes stretching thousands of kilometres.
On the other hand, oil drilling in these remote areas has a few advantages as well. The first benefit of oil drilling is that the process of drilling itself and the development of land after the extraction helps in creating jobs for locals. Secondly, it would lead to the development of the areas as it would increase the connectivity of these areas with the rest of the country.
To sum up, although there are a few advantages of oil and gas exploration in remote places, the disadvantages are far more.
Plan followed
Intro: cons of tapping these resources outweigh the pros
Para 1: cons
Para 2: cons
Para 3: pros
Conclusion:
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