Introduction
Drilling for oil is a hazardous job that can sometimes created massive environmental disaster. Because of the high marketable profit that oil offers safety laws are ignore at crucial times. Consequently, oil spills among other accidents happened destroying ecosystems, harming animal life and sometimes human loses. Oil spills not only harm animal life but can also destroy the economy of a given region and create physical and psychological problems for the residents of those areas. Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is one among many spills that have become history because of its horrific effect on animal life, human health and the major impact on the economy of the surrounding areas. Some choose to ignore the long term effect that this accidents cause on the surrounding ecosystems and the environment in overall. It is obvious that the world has grown dependent on oil; however, new technological advances in alternative energies could soon replace fossil fuels if given a fair chance. Solar, wind, electrical and hydro power are a few alternative clean energy sources that are now being use to replace fossil fuel consumption. Experts estimate that by 2050 most of the world would be operating on alternative energy sources because of constant developments on these technologies. Oil drilling is very risky and sometimes unsafe not to mention hazardous to the environment; however new technological developments have proven that clean energy sources could replace fossil fuel usage in the future, therefore liberating the world of pollution and decreasing the rate of Global Warming.
Background Information
Oil discovery
Oil, a mixture of hydrocarbons with varying molecular masses and structure, is a fluid composed on three major chemical group namely; paraffinic, naphthenic, and aromatic oil differentiated from each other by their viscosity, boiling points, specific gravity, melting point, and reactivity among other chemical and physical characteristic (International Maritime Organization 5). These characteristics may change depending on the condition to which one species on the oil is subjected; changes that are fundamental in the identification of these various forms of oil.
Petroleum oil, a thick dark liquid that consists of a variety of hydrocarbons together with trace amounts of sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen among other impurities, is a mineral resource that it formed from decaying remains of animals believed to have died millions of years ago (Miller and Spoolman 375). Crude oil is extracted by way of drilling with the help of sophisticated equipment which works to expose the oil-containing-rock and the oil flowing from the rock due to gravity pumped to the surface (Miller and Spoolman 375). The area from which oil is mined is usually called an oil field whose productivity decline with time, usually a decade or so, soon after the peak production point is exceeded which prompt drilling of new wells. The oil is then transported by road or pipeline to refineries that work on the underlying principle of difference in boiling point of the various products of the petroleum oil.
Worlds oil dependency and consumption
Miller and Spoolman document that the world oil consumption has encountered growth since 1950 translating into oil being the most common source of energy both commercially and domestically (Miller and Spoolman 376). It is alleged America has since become the largest oil consumer, consuming about 25% of the world’s total oil production ironically with a population of less than 10% of the world’s total population. The largest producers of oil are the thirteen Oil and Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), producing a total of 60% of the world’s crude oil thus having the oil price control power in their dockets. Individually, Saudi Arabia stands indubitably as the largest single oil producer (25%) followed by Canada which produces. There is a very thin line that separates oil and power. This implies that oil and power are almost related
Importance oil to an economy
Oil plays a significant role in a country’s development. The process of drilling oil is a labor intensive process that requires a great deal of manpower thereby offering a great number of employment opportunities to vast number of people who work as laborers in the mining fields.
In turn, there is a modest increase in a country’s output, especially export to the international markets, reflecting the importance of oil with limited sensitivity to the country’s economic activities because such changes have higher elasticity with respect to the economic activities of an individual nation. Oil therefore leads to a rise in the Gross Domestic Product of a country. Consequently there is rise in the living standards of people in the country where oil is prevalent accompanied by improvement of infrastructure together with several social amenities. Conversely, in as much as oil can lead to increase in a country’s revenue, there are number setback that a country risks experience in the event of an increase in revenue. These range from high inflation rates. It is, therefore from this ground that the opponents of oil drilling argue while citing that even though the this commodity is highly valued, the implication s and predicament that surface due to such a line of exploitation are far reaching and more pronounced that if the exploitation were avoided.
Effects of oil to the world
Oil as mentioned earlier is a very important commodity to any economy. This important commodity in vary many instances becomes controversial because of the impacts it has to the environment. The first impact that comes to main is the Dutch Disease (also called the oil curse). Killions defines the Dutch disease as a state of inflow of capital, caused for example by an oil boom, which causes the real exchange rate to appreciate (151). The reason for this appreciation is that domestic prices in the tradable and non-tradable sector will be affected asymmetrically with the prices of the foreign non-tradable sector rising at a faster rate. This further implies that the competitiveness of the locally goods deteriorates in international markets as the opportunity cost of producing tradable goods has increased. Netherlands was the first nation to experience the Dutch Disease (perhaps the reason why the phenomenon was called the Dutch Disease) soon after the discovery of oil within its boundaries (Kuipers 135). However, it is not always a routine that a country must experience the Dutch Disease if petroleum is discovered within its boundaries. Countries like Saudi Arabia have never suffered from the Dutch Disease since when oil was discovered from within their soils. Instead of the Dutch Disease, Saudi Arabia benefited from the oil which enabled it to improve it domestic industries translating to a well established economy.
In most instances oil is transported to various destinations through pipeline system because of the heavy nature of petroleum. Oil drilling is also associated with oil spillage which occurs due to breakage or leakage of flow lines following an accident or lack of proper maintenance of the flow line. The spilled oil spreading-mechanism is depended on the viscosity of the oil, temperature, the wind flowing over the surface of the water, together with other oceanographic conditions like tides and ocean currents (International Maritime Organization 12). As a result, cargo handling operations at the port and harbors may be impaired. Nonetheless, recreational area along the affected regions may be rendered unusable; such sanction may lead to loss of tourism revenue especially to small state economies which depend on such tourism activities experiencing greater impacts. Research has shown that oils spill has tremendous negative influence on the marine habitat in terms of the changes that it causes to animals and plants behaviorally, psychologically and other chemical functioning mechanism. Ecological disintegration, conversion, degradation and fragmentations have also been witnessed in some area consequential to oil spillage. Further, the marine animals and plant risk dying consequent to sub-lethal exposures to the spilled oil, while at the same time inducting susceptibility to predation, carcinogenesis, mutagenesis and disease leading to premature death of sea/ocean plants and animals.to the spilled oil (International Maritime Organization 32). Humans not exempted especially intricate lovers of fish products who inevitably consume the hydrocarbon consumed by the fish caught from areas with records of oil spill (International Maritime Organization 32). Accumulation of hydrocarbons in the body has grave consequences to human health. Empirically, however, there are instances when the spillage can of positive significance to the sea and ocean life considering the oil could produce positive effect on the reproductive processes sea animals like fish (International Maritime Organization, 32). This insinuates that oils spill, as negative as it may appear, in of significance advantage to the marine life.
It asserted that oil spill phenomenon is still going to be the order of the day in the oil mining industry with allegations place on the climate shifts taking the leading role in causing these spills (Davidson and Cogswell 10). There are times when oil due to fact that it is denser than ice spill and flow below the ice. This is a common scenario in the arctic and Antarctic region with extreme cold temperature. Worth noting is the anomalous expansion of water that enable marine life to prevail even in such extreme cold weather regions. The use of specialized detection tools should therefore be used, one example of such tools being an electromagnetic sensor. If not detected early enough, the
The exploration and exploitation of oil involves application of seismic survey and other machinery that may entail explosion and use of other chemicals like mercury and cadmium. Seismic survey is done offshore as well as onshore to detect oil. This survey, especially due to the explosives used pose significant threat not only to structures nearby but also fishing grounds. In the fishing ground, the explosions from the survey scare away fish and can also destroy fishing nets and boats (Frynas 159). Frynas continues to assert that seismic survey are potential initiators f hydrological changes that constitute to lakes, ocean and to a small extend sea turn-over events (159). The exploitation process also leads to environmental contamination following routine activities and at times due to accident. On the opposing side, according to a case cited by Frynas in his book, where BP was the defendant, seismic survey do not always cause damage to structures especially buildings which are only affected by the explosion only if the building materials used in building the house are off low quality (Frynas 159). It is also worth noting that some of the environmental contamination occur accidentally and hence are not always intended.
Other forms of pollution that come as a result of mining include gas snares from the combustion of hydrocarbons during extraction of oil, as well as Effluent and Waste discharges. Flaring, specifically natural gas, off of the hydrocarbons These hydrocarbons are known to reduce the size of the ozone layer, scientifically known as ozone layer depletion, thereby reducing its size with the amenable results being cancer of the skin caused by ultraviolet rations that would have been otherwise trapped by the ozone layer. At the same time, when effluents and wastes discharge emanating from the oil fields are discharged into rivers and lakes, there results an overly in the ph., salinity and temperature of the water. On an opponent stand point, natural gas, in spite of facilitating ozone layer depletion, is a among the top expensive by products of oil drilling. The gas, also a source of energy can be exported to other countries for foreign exchange. Nation like Libya, a country suspected to have natural gas deposits that could last up to 2070, is among the countries that enjoy the revenues earned from natural gas export (DiPiazza 60).
As attested earlier, the use of refined oil a source of fuel is widespread in the whole world. This energy is only produced when fuel is burnt, and as evidenced by oil drilling and its effects on the world, burning of the fossil fuel produces carbon dioxide which is absorbed by the ocean and lakes, bio-systems normally characterized by small ph ranges, this causing huge variations in the ph of these biomasses (52). With now a change on the chemistry of the oceans and lake due to high concentration of hydrogen ion which react with carbonates to form bicarbonates, which cannot be used by the marine animal to form shells (oil drilling and its effects on the world 52).
In a nut shell, oil mining regardless of the negative implications that are attached to the process is an activity that should be approached with grace and diligence. We have seen that phenomenon like the Dutch Disease are closely attached to oil mining though it is clear that a country with oil does necessarily have to go through the Dutch Disease. This we have with regards to Saudi Arabia, a nation whose economy instead of being dwarfed by high inflation of oil according to the Dutch Disease Theory stipulates, emerged a one of the nations with a more than promising economy. Again, contrary to the hyperinflation that surface due to increase in a country’s revenue, the benefits that accompany such changes as far much better than the negative effects that such moves entail. Oil spill which is undoubtedly the most pronounced unpleasant phenomenon that leads to vast changes in the ecosystem can be avoided through proper and timely management of the oil flow lines. Rapid emergency response teams with special training on how to reverse such situation should be put in place should be established by the mining firms. This can be made compulsory by the governments of the nations in which oil mining are taking place with designated organs of the government mandated to ensure that all the regulations regarding to establishments of mining firms are adhered to. Emissions, discharges of wastes and effluents should be minimized at all cost. Purification of global warming gases should accompany the mining process in order to ensure that such emissions are treated first before being emitted into the environment. Research should also be underway to produce substitute chemicals to the dangerous minerals like mercury that are used during the process of mining oil. Exploration which plays a principle role in mining as an economic activity should embrace the use of other means of exploring oil deposits instead of using seismic survey that employs the use of explosives thereby causing damage to structures. As reported by Karin, President Obama suggested during his 2011 state address, the world can be fossil-free by 2050 (1). According to Obama, America and the world at large should exploit other clean sources of energy such as solar, wind energy and geothermal energy (Karin 1). Lastly, I appeal to the world at large to explore other avenues for sourcing energy like solar and wind as opposed to oil.
Works cited
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