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Essay / How Offshore Drilling Affects the Environment
The environmental impacts of offshore oil drilling far outweigh the economic benefits provided. Although it has been a continuous activity for over a decade, one cannot help but wonder why offshore drilling continues considering the pollution caused, how it eliminates the supply of natural resources, kill innocent sea creatures and actually harm the national economy. However, there are solutions to this problem. Before presenting solutions, it is important to discuss the different problems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay First of all, offshore oil drilling causes both marine and terrestrial pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, says that “offshore drilling results in significant routine pollution in the form of oil and gas.” By routine, the EPA means “a near constant flow from oil rigs and derricks” (Sisskin). Nothing is ever done about pollution, and as long as nothing is done about oil dumped into the sea, our oceans are in danger. So how much oil is spilled into the oceans? According to a study conducted by the World Research Institute, “between 3 and 6 million tons of oil are released into the oceans each year” (Gorman 48). To put that into perspective, that's about 4 football stadiums filled to the brim with oil. This happens every year, and has been going on for over a decade. In total, 45 million tonnes of oil have been spilled into the oceans over the last ten years. Oil ends up in the oceans in several ways. One method is to cause drilling accidents and another is to cause spills from oil tankers and other transportation. In 1990 alone, 1/8 of the total oil discharged “occurred daily in New York and New Jersey Harbor” (American Oceans Campaign). And that's only an eighth of the total oil spilled. Take a moment and think about the amount of oil spilled: one-eighth of 6 million tons is equivalent to 750,000 tons of oil in the Port of New York and New Jersey alone. These high concentrations of oil often devastate marine life and can lead to the extinction of species that inhabit this area. Christos Papoutsis, the European Commission's Energy Commissioner, said that when it comes to oil, "discharging at sea is neither a realistic nor a desirable option" (Cutter). And he's right. The current effects of crude oil spilling into the ocean are having serious consequences on marine life and the environment. Companies that dump crude oil into the oceans for whatever reason simply lack the foresight to accurately see the results of their actions. And pollution from offshore drilling doesn't stop at marine pollution. In conjunction with marine pollution, offshore drilling also creates air pollution. Often, when companies drill for oil, they “come across packets of natural gas escaping into the air” (Sisskin). The reality is that companies drilling for oil are equipped to siphon off natural gas when they find it, but simply choose not to. The natural gas then escapes into the environment where it is capable of causing harm not only in the form of global warming but also mixing to form toxic toxins in the atmosphere. Offshore oil drilling is not only responsible for pollution; it also does more. Oil drilling insea will not only have a lasting impact on marine life, but will also diminish natural resources. Offshore drilling removes natural resources that “the world will turn to the oceans in the 21st century” (Environmental News Network). It is already clear that our marine resources are overexploited. Before long, we will feel the full effects of ocean depletion. Countries whose economies depend on the oceans will simply collapse. The stress placed on the oceans has a major impact on the creatures that inhabit the region. One of the leaders of the oil industry, Shell, “Environmental performance has not improved in the Niger Delta” (Rowell 101). The result has been the death of more than 3 million marine creatures and a reduction in marine life around the oil rig within a quarter mile radius Consider a similar effect for all oil rigs exist, and the reason why there has been a large reduction in life. marine is obvious. And at sea, it is not the only place where offshore disasters can occur. Tanks used to store oil after it is transported to the coast are also estimated to be around. “a quarter of America's underground gas stations are leaking” (Rowell 104). water used as drinking water, and then the full impact will be visible. So with these types of pollution, is offshore drilling even somewhat environmentally safe? A real oil spill has a much greater impact on marine life. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill, there were only 2,400 California otters left. This number is small compared to the “nearly double that number [who] were killed in the Alaska spill” (AOC). That's about two-thirds of California's otter population lost to a single spill. At the current rate, the California otter is at risk of extinction due to oil spills. This is just one example of the many species that are now at risk of extinction due to offshore oil drilling. So with all these issues, is offshore drilling worth the cost, maintenance and repair of offshore rigs? The answer is clearly no. In reality, offshore oil drilling is not economically feasible. The main reason why offshore drilling is not viable is that it takes “a hundred million barrels [of oil] over a small area to make it feasible” (Bunin). When referring to a small area, an oil rig must produce this many barrels in a fifty meter area, which is very rare. Failure to do so often results in lost profits for that company, leading them to claw back money any way they can. The obvious solution is to build more platforms to try to regain profits. However, when it fails to generate profits, the cycle repeats itself. But companies don't just pay for platforms that fail to generate money. Companies that fail to comply with environmental regulations must pay “rare, but often significant” fines (Ministry of Justice). Companies pay an average of more than $8.3 million in fines for pollution and unsafe work environments. Unfortunately, for most businesses, this amounts to virtually no money. Even if fines are abundant, they are never enough to stop a company from continuing drilling. Fines for spills are insignificant, since “the Ministry of.