Effects of Oil & Drilling on the Environment
Oil drilling has diverse and widespread effects on the environment. It can destroy habitats, disrupt animal migrations and force people to give up their traditional way of life.
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Noise Pollution
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Seismic waves sent into the ground tell researchers where oil reserves may lie. This noise pollution can cause whales and other cetaceans, such as dolphins, to strand themselves on the shore. The drilling itself also brings noise pollution to the surrounding area.
Oil Spills
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Drilling comes with a high chance of an oil spill. An oil spill has such widespread effects throughout an ecosystem that it is impossible for humans to remedy, although we can attempt to clean up the environment to some extent. Thousands of gallons spill each year, though these oil spills aren't always publicized widely.
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Infrastructure
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Roads, airports, housing complexes, pipelines, mines and other structures must be built when drilling for oil. These structures can disturb animal habitats and migration routes.
Byproducts
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Oil drilling produces byproducts that pollute the environment. These include "produced water," which contains toxins like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; greenhouse gases; and toxic metals such as mercury and lead.
Effects on People
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Oil drilling has had detrimental effects on people, too, as illustrated in the film "Crude" that deals with Texaco's presence in Ecuador. Pollution from oil drilling has been shown to cause life-threatening diseases such as cancer and it can also destroy the traditional homelands of indigenous societies.
When considering all of these factors, the high cost of oil is the least of our motivations for investing in alternative energy sources.
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