Harsh Facts of the Week
American offshore oil
drilling extracts about 1.5 million barrels a day. In comparison, the current
daily oil consumption of the United States is 21 million barrels.
Drilling technologies
have improved, leading to less spill occurrences. However, at current
extraction rates, predictions indicate that in the Gulf of Mexico over the next
forty years, there will be one oil spill per year of at least 1,000 barrels.
An average hydraulic
fracturing (fracking) well requires three to eight million gallons of water
over its lifetime.
In 2011, France
became the first nation to ban hydraulic fracturing.
Natural gas extracted
by fracking may have a significant environmental advantage over coal mining;
when burned, shale (natural) gas emits half the carbon dioxide per unit of
energy as coal. Regardless, fracking adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere
through extraction leakage and emissions from burning natural gas. Methane, a
greenhouse gas about twenty times more effective at trapping heat than carbon
dioxide, can leak during hydraulic fracturing. So, it is unclear which is
potentially “healthier” for the environment.
Fracking for natural gas provides
major economic advantages and allows access to stores of fuel that otherwise
would have remained untouched. If you read up on the topic, you’ll find that
hydraulic fracturing has disadvantages and advantages, both of which can be
heavily and extensively argued. While fracking supporters provide some solid defenses,
I still find myself opposed to fracking for one major, overlaying reason.
Our Earth’s fuel resources are
limited. Finding new places and ways to obtain it is helpful in the short run.
However, in the long run, we’ll eventually be left high and dry, or we’ll
suffocate on our own fumes, whichever comes first. Every time the sun shines, a
wind blows, and a river flows, there’s raw energy that can be tapped into,
perhaps indefinitely so. I want my country, and at the very least, New York
State, to realize the superior long term benefits of focusing on renewable
energy, rather than temporary solutions to the energy crisis. Instead of
pouring oceans of money into lobbying, promoting, developing, and executing
fracking, I want the efforts to be shifted to renewable. Developing renewable
energy can provide just as many jobs and will be more economical and ethical to carry out
than harvesting fossil fuels.
Most importantly, renewable sources
are the only reliable way to provide energy to the masses without further
damaging the environment. It’s such a simple, healthy concept. So why is a big
chunk of society and business fighting back against its evolution?
We have an addiction to fuel, all
of us, myself included. I’m ready to
beat my addiction. That’s why I traveled to Albany today and rallied in the
capitol against fracking for over three hours. The details of my experience
will be described in a separate post.
Sources:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/coal-oil-gas/the-hard-facts-about-fracking
Ecofriendly Economics
Paper Straws
To
reduce your plastic use and landfill waste volume, consider purchasing
biodegradable paper straws instead of conventional plastic straws. Paper straws
are strong enough not fall apart while you use them, but the material they’re
made from has a much better impact on the environment.
So,
for all your birthday and graduation parties, vacations, holidays, and various
events over the summer, use and provide paper straws instead. They come in all
sorts of decorative designs; perfect for parties and celebrations. Kikkerland
and Greenmunch
offer a menagerie of colorful and festive designs that you can order on their
websites. Check Greenmunch’s retailer list
to find where you can buy them at a store. Amazon
also has a wide variety of paper straws to choose from.
Kikkerland Decorative Paper Straws
Picture courtesy of: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/kikkerland-design-biodegradable-paper-straws/3413470
Get
active and vocal! Contact your local restaurants via letter, phone call, or
meeting, and urge them to take a simple step in the right direction for the
environment and invest in paper straws. Email me at viridorari@yahoo.com and I will supply
you with a premade business letter that will only require you to fill in a few
blanks.
Animal of the Month Update
Picture courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges_shark
The scientific name of the Ganges shark is Glyphis gangeticus. Unlike bull sharks,
which Ganges sharks are often confused with, they do not need to migrate to
salt water to reproduce. The six known species in the Glyphis genus are true river sharks.
Much is unknown about the ecology of Ganges sharks, but
educated inferences can be made based on their body structure. For example,
because its eyes are tilted towards its back rather than to the sides or
bottom, it can be assumed that Ganges sharks swim along the bottom of a water
body, scanning above itself for potential prey back-lit by the sun.
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