Environmental impact of Unconventional Onshore Oil and Gas Extraction

Environmental impact of Unconventional Onshore Oil and Gas Extraction

Can you imagine adding more pollutants into our universe that is already choking with unfathomable pollution that is threatening the survival of every life? The ecological systems are interdependent, and affecting one component creates ripple effects that can cause fatal implications on other elements that comprise our environment. The rising trends of rampant industrialization and automation of processes in both domestic and commercial operations call for more sources of power. Still, environmental conservation should be at the core of every decision (Zehr, 2016). Otherwise, why would anyone produce energy that will lack consumers because it kills people? The unconventional oil and gas extraction (UOGE), is a threat to the environment because it has deadly effects on climate and public health both in short and long-term. UOGE involves fracking for the shale gas, underground coal gasification, and coal bed methane extraction (Bolden, Schultz, Pelch, & Kwiatkowski, 2018). The processes of UOGE are responsible for nasty pollution effects at local, national, and global level, and the entire process is against the principles of a carbon-free economy.

There are two approaches to deal with the menace of unconventional oil and gas extraction. First, the processes should be developed to incorporate better techniques of exploiting underground resources (Kondash, Albright, & Vengosh, 2017). Second, the governments and local communities, alike, should be opposed to any activities concerning UOGE to safeguard the health and use sustainable energy. The first solution is friendly to the companies that produce energy, but it is challenging to implement if it will require an investment of extra resources into the production process. The second suggestion is applicable if the concerned governments will be ready to enforce laws that seek to eliminate the Unconventional Oil and Gas Extraction.

I am strongly opposed to the idea of applying UOGE methods of extracting resources to produce energy, whereas there are other known sources of sustainable energy. I think the current levels of pollution in the world are beyond what the systems of the environment can support. I have experienced the adverse effects of global warming since glaciers started disappearing, and climatic changes have made meteorological weather forecasts ineffective (Bolden et al., 2018). Unconventional oil and gas extraction has hazards on the environment that affects air, water, soil, and seismic activities. Global warming is a real threat to the survival of many organisms because it affects the interaction of living and non-living things. The increases in global temperature have caused drastic changes in the weather patterns, and that directly affects the way foods are grown, and the productivity is adversely affected.

The solution of abolishing the UOGE resource exploitation is a viable option, especially considering the adverse effects it has on the environment. The environment is where the human and animal life thrives, and it should be protected at all costs (Kondash et al., 2017). I would recommend adopting renewable sources that are friendly to the environment, cheaper, and reliable. The abolition of UOGE projects will help safeguard the environment.

It is crucial to consider the environmental impact of the huge volumes of water that are required for facilitating the unconventional oil and gas extraction process. Supplying the UOGE plants and facilities with new water to run their processes causes severe imbalances in the availability and consumption of water (Butkovskyi, Bruning, & Kools, 2017). Regions and local areas within where UOGE operations take place can experience water shortages because the demand for water increases as more exploitation of gas and oils is carried out. There are significant challenges when it comes to recycling water. Recycling is a viable idea that would work in ensuring effective environmental conservation, but it is expensive to operate and treat the water. Therefore, the firms prefer to source new water than recycle what they already have acquired. The governments should ensure that the water is recycled by making the acquisition of new water difficult (Butkovskyi et al., 2017). Increasing the charges for disposing of the used water can force the firms to recycle their water. Also, there should be clear information that shows the relationship between the disposal of wastes water and the increased cases of induced seismicity in the environment (Torres, Yadav, & Khan, 2016). This strategy will work in supporting the government’s effort to ban Unconventional Oil and Gas Exploration.

Water is a crucial resource that supports life in various ways, and if it gets contaminated by industrial processes such as UOGE, it becomes dangerous and life-threatening. The procedures used in the UOGE exploration of resources are connected to the pollution effects that impact on the water on the surface of the earth and the underground water table (Butkovskyi et al., 2017). Disposal programs and procedures used in the UOGE are sometimes ineffective because there are a few elements that are untraceable when treating the wastewater. Most of the Unconventional Oil and Gas Exploration processes are inclined more towards making profits than in operating within the standards that conserve the environment. The suggestion to find better ways of working on the UOGE processes can help in developing more effective means of treating, recycling, and reusing the water (Torres et al., 2016). Freshwater sources are contaminated during the process of getting the water into the plants and also when the treatment of water for disposal is inefficient. The drilling of water from underground can be a leading cause of contamination if there lacks proper management, design, casing, and protection of the integrity of the access to water aquifers in the ground.

The concerns of pollution in the freshwater reserves because all aspects of life depend directly on the availability of water that is clean and safe for consumption. Traces of dangerous chemicals in water amount to the pollution that harms the lives of people through causing fatal diseases and the plants die when choked with the harmful chemicals. UOGE should be controlled or eliminated to pave the way for better methods of producing energy. For instance, the minimum water requirement for producing one barrel of crude oil is 6 barrels of water (Butkovskyi et al., 2017). The amount of water can go up to 30 barrels depending on the length of the laterals. Besides, there will be more imbalances in the water cycles in areas where UOGE is carried out since the amount of water per well has risen from 6 million to 15 million barrels per year in every well. I think that is an excellent reason to see the need to eliminate UOGE. Furthermore, the hydraulic fracturing process releases fracturing chemicals, stray gases, and leaked elements that are harmful to the consumers of the contaminated water.

The noise emitted from the UOGE plants and the radiations risks make the immediate environment unbearable for both plants and animals. The distractions that the process of gushing out under hydraulic forces have significant effects in altering the natural migrations of fish and other aquatic organisms that move along certain paths to reproduce (Bolden et al., 2018). The governments in every respective country where UOGE is currently underway should ensure that such operations are shut down and sustainable sources of energy, including solar power and, are available.

In addition to all those negative environmental implications of UOGE, the use of such methods to extract oil and gas are harmful to public health. The general population is unaware of the dangers they face every day (Zehr, 2016). The environmental hazards caused by UOGE since the first project was started have been downplayed to hide the bitter truth from the general public.

I think the views that enthusiastically support UOGE based on economic growth and economic growth as uninformed. The supporters ensure that they highlight agriculture, house prices, and other overall benefits.

In conclusion, unconventional oil and gas exploration should be abolished due to the adverse effects it has on the environment. The world economies are shifting towards green energy and striving to minimize the pollution of the environment. As we push for changes in the field of unconventional oil and gas extraction, we can impact the difference in our immediate environment. What would happen if you and I took the responsibility of protecting the environment in whatever society?

References

Bolden, A. L., Schultz, K., Pelch, K. E., & Kwiatkowski, C. F. (2018). Exploring the endocrine activity of air pollutants associated with unconventional oil and gas           extraction. Environmental Health, 17(1), 26.

Butkovskyi, A., Bruning, H., Kools, S. A., Rijnaarts, H. H., & Van Wezel, A. P. (2017). Organic pollutants in shale gas flowback and produced waters: identification, potential ecological impact, and implications for treatment strategies. Environmental science & technology, 51(9), 4740-4754.

Kondash, A. J., Albright, E., & Vengosh, A. (2017). Quantity of flowback and produced waters from unconventional oil and gas exploration. Science of the Total Environment, 574, 314-           321.

Torres, L., Yadav, O. P., & Khan, E. (2016). A review of risk assessment techniques for hydraulic fracturing water and produced water management implemented in onshore unconventional oil and gas production. Science of the Total Environment, 539, 478-493.

Zehr, S. C. (2016). Public representations of scientific uncertainty about global climate      change. Public Understanding of Science.