What is the environmental cost of drilling? Do we dare touch such a fragile ecosystem that could never resurrect itself just because “gas prices are too high?” Is mankind so greedy and superficial that we have to take away one the most vast and unique areas of the world just for our own benefit? These are some of the many argumentative questions rational, environmentally aware individuals are asking after a significant amount oil has been recorded under the layers of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The price of oil and gas have nearly doubled since two years ago, according to Matthew J. Kotchen in his article Should we drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? An economic perspective. Drilling in the United States seems like the easiest …show more content…
If the United States decides to drill on Alaska’s soil, then the whole ecosystem could potentially suffer from fracking, possible human error (such as oil spills, transportation mishaps going from site to site), or being driven away from the lands they were born and raised in. For example, the porcupine caribous’ migration-instinct leads their species on a 400 mile odyssey, the longest migration for a land mammal on Earth. The drilling sites and roads being built on this foreign land would throw their species into confusion, causing them to definitely be separated. This would lead them to reduce their mating and significantly reduce their population. According to Lauren Bettino and Hank Moylan in their article Impacts of Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a native-Alaskan tribe (the Gwich’in tribe) depends on these caribou as apart of their heritage, culture, and traditions. Not only do they kill a limited amount of caribou for food, but they also use every part of the animal, including the bones for tools. As you can see, the Gwich’in tribe believes that the caribou are sacred, beautiful creatures that need not be messed with. The intended drilling sites are home to the caribou as well as the Gwich’in tribe. If we relocate this tribe, are we not repeating our selfish motives during the 19th century when man first came to
The price of oil and gas have nearly doubled since two years ago, according to Matthew J. Kotchen in his article Should we drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? An economic perspective. Drilling in the United States seems like the easiest …show more content…
If the United States decides to drill on Alaska’s soil, then the whole ecosystem could potentially suffer from fracking, possible human error (such as oil spills, transportation mishaps going from site to site), or being driven away from the lands they were born and raised in. For example, the porcupine caribous’ migration-instinct leads their species on a 400 mile odyssey, the longest migration for a land mammal on Earth. The drilling sites and roads being built on this foreign land would throw their species into confusion, causing them to definitely be separated. This would lead them to reduce their mating and significantly reduce their population. According to Lauren Bettino and Hank Moylan in their article Impacts of Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a native-Alaskan tribe (the Gwich’in tribe) depends on these caribou as apart of their heritage, culture, and traditions. Not only do they kill a limited amount of caribou for food, but they also use every part of the animal, including the bones for tools. As you can see, the Gwich’in tribe believes that the caribou are sacred, beautiful creatures that need not be messed with. The intended drilling sites are home to the caribou as well as the Gwich’in tribe. If we relocate this tribe, are we not repeating our selfish motives during the 19th century when man first came to