Just a
few months ago in May, Britain has legalized fracking and other ways of
extracting natural gas, and many companies are now proceeding with exploratory
drilling. To the rural English town of Balcombe, fracking means that large
drills will be going deep underground in the very spot they live to release
dangerous chemicals in order to obtain fuel, and these dangerous chemicals
bring worries of a disgusting and flammable water source. Protestors are
present in Balcombe to try and stop or slow down the process of fracking, and
some protestors are even from the United States who bring their experiences
from what happened in Pennsylvania, mainly the flammable water, to stop the
dangers from spreading. The British government states that fracking is safe,
but if any harm comes to the environment or to the people, the process will be
stopped. However, if fracking is proven to be profitable, local residents will
be given a small cut of the money.
Fracking is very controversial,
in that it has not been definitively proven that it is dangerous. If it is
harmful and it does ruin the water supply, then it must be stopped to keep the
environment in check. But if fracking is stopped, Britain and many other
countries will need to find another way to obtain energy, hopefully in cleaner
alternatives.
Personally speaking, fracking
has not been proven to be hazardous, and until it is, it is safe for fracking
to continue on. Eventually though, we will need to move toward cleaner energy
sources, because all of the fuel obtained from this method will still burn and
damage the air quality. We also need to stop doing things only for profit and
we need to look at the other consequences of our actions.
River, I agree with your point that we must eventually put our greed behind us and move towards cleaner energy sources that do not contaminate the environment. Upon reading your blog I was not really sure what “fracking” was, but looking further into it I discovered the controversy surrounding this subject. I discovered that fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, poses a risk to the environment as a whole. Of course the oil and gas drilling industry will argue that it is safe because they are making the profit, but there are some dangerous realities. Fracking utilizes millions of gallons of fresh water and acres of land for drilling, contaminating land, water, air, and wildlife with harmful chemicals that have been pumped into the earth. Studies show American communities that have utilized fracking have experienced toxic air pollution, water contamination, and problems with the disposal of waste fluids produced by fracking. I have to disagree with your belief that fracking is safe to continue on. I think that until the risks are completely exposed and regulations are established, fracking should not be continued, especially in communities or towns like Balcombe where the lives of people can be directly harmed.
ReplyDeleteA specific example of the risks of fracking in Ohio: http://www.theoec.org/Fracking?gclid=CKKstrPP7LgCFQyk4AodbiYAMw
The fact is, Emily, without solid evidence recognized by the government, fracking will not end because it will be kept legal. The drilling companies do not care for the environment, only for profit, so they will not stop until a higher power makes them. Unfortunately, the people who have recognized the dangers of fracking have little to no power in the running of these companies, so drilling will carry on unless the people go to the government and lobby or protest until the drilling stops. It is the duty for the people to stop these potentially harmful processes, and standing around the site with signs will not do it because they need to appeal to the national government in order to make such drilling illegal again. If fracking in Balcombe proves to be dangerous, then it should be stopped, but until then, it will unfortunately continue on.
ReplyDeleteFracking is a very controversial topic because it is still not clear how much natural gas there really is in the world and whether or not fracking poses a potential risk. Past incidents have shown what fracking can do and the negative effects it can have upon the environment. According to http://www.naturalgas.org/overview/resources.asp, there is an abundance of natural gas under and around the United States. NaturalGas.org says that the National Petroleum Council in 2007 estimated that there was about 1,451 trillion cubic feet under the ground just in North America, onshore and offshore. Natural gas is a fuel source which would be a more environmentally friendly energy source than other energy sources that are in use now, such as coal. Although, fracking could be an economical advantage, this does not mean that we would be doing the future generations any favors. Natural Gas is a petroleum based fuel and the supply is finite. Being that it is finite, it is not renewable. Using our efforts to research cleaner energy technology would be the wisest decision to make. Natural gas could potentially nurse the world’s need for a petroleum based fuel, until a cleaner energy can be mass produced and used. We need to consider the future by starting now on extensive research for cleaner energy sources before it is too late.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand what you are saying about the people needing to appeal to a higher power in order to put an end to fracking. But ultimately I believe your previous statement that “it is safe for fracking to continue on” is untrue. Just because the government has not officially recognized the harmful effects of fracking does not mean that they are nonexistent. I also do not think that it is the “duty” of the people to put an end to these harmful processes. Yes, the people will most likely end up being the power that will shed the light on fracking’s dangerous outcomes, but they are certainly not responsible for causing them. I do believe that we are on the same page concerning the greed and inconsideration of the drilling companies, and I realize that until something major is done and the dangers are recognized, fracking will be kept legal. Fortunately there are already organizations voicing their opinions against fracking. For example, the “New Yorkers Against Fracking” recently launched a campaign to ban fracking in New York. Hopefully with the rise of more organizations like this, the government will take action against fracking.
ReplyDeleteNYAF: http://nyagainstfracking.org/national-state-and-local-groups-launch-statewide-coalition-new-yorkers-against-fracking/
The thing about it is that the drilling companies are quite responsible in what they do. In Pennsylvania, they make sure that the drilling areas around wells are kept at a minimal size to not upset the forest. In populated areas and around scenic byways, they leave tree lines to not upset the view. Any roads destroyed by their trucks are repaired and upgraded. I have seen all this personally because my hometown in Pennsylvania is experiencing a fracking revolution. Furthermore, we need to take a big picture approach to what is going on in Britain. I agree with River's statement that fracking should continue on for the time being, and it is excellent that the British government agreed to shut it down if any harmful effects are seen. Britain obtains their energy primarily from the middle east and Russia, both of which use exploitative practices, unsafe machinery, and violate human rights to deliver the oil, coal, and natural gas to Europe. Britain's potential fracking revolution could not only make them independent of these polluting giants, but revive the many local towns that have gone down the tubes when manufacturing left. Also, as seen in Germany, the replacement for energy loss is always what the market wants, which right now is coal. Therefore, in the long run, fracking would impact the environment less than none at all.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.energyfromshale.org/hydraulic-fracturing/how-hydraulic-fracturing-works
ReplyDelete