Imagine if you were an animal, living happily in Alaska. You’re protected from cruel humans by the ANWR. But that all changes when the humans find oil in the ANWR, and they drill it out of the ground without giving a care to the animals. Even though I’m not an animal, I still agree that this is just plain cruel. Where will the animals go? What will happen to them? The US should not drill in ANWR, because it won’t help us.
A study by the US Energy Information Agency shows that drilling in ANWR will only reduce US oil imports by 4%, and give us a six month supply. What difference will that make? Considering the US consumes 25-30% of the world’s oil annually, not much of a difference. The ANWR drilling will only supply 3% of the United States’ annual oil use. This tiny amount of oil will be taken from 8% of the ANWR’s land. Even though 8% may not sound like much, it’s actually 1.5 million acres of land.
Of course, we can’t forget about the animals or the environment. Bears, caribou, wolves, geese, and many types of birds could be killed. Seals, sea lions, walruses, polar bears and lots of different whales could be affected if an oil spill happened. ANWR is supposed to be a sanctuary for animals, but the drilling would cause deforestation, sewage, sludge, scrap metal, and over 60 wasteland sites. There would be pollution, which could turn into acid rain and smog. All the native animals there could be killed, and there wouldn’t be any more left.
Humans need an opinion, too. Almost everyone agrees that drilling in ANWR is a good thing, such as the Inupiat people in Alaska. They think that delays in development have deprived them of the benefits and resources that can be found in their home, so they support drilling. Obviously, the government thinks this is good, too. Because they say that 735,000 jobs would be created if they drilled in ANWR. But this won’t have much benefit to anyone, because it would be impossible to only drill 8% of the land. This is because the oil is all spread out, not concentrated in one place.
A study by the US Energy Information Agency shows that drilling in ANWR will only reduce US oil imports by 4%, and give us a six month supply. What difference will that make? Considering the US consumes 25-30% of the world’s oil annually, not much of a difference. The ANWR drilling will only supply 3% of the United States’ annual oil use. This tiny amount of oil will be taken from 8% of the ANWR’s land. Even though 8% may not sound like much, it’s actually 1.5 million acres of land.
Of course, we can’t forget about the animals or the environment. Bears, caribou, wolves, geese, and many types of birds could be killed. Seals, sea lions, walruses, polar bears and lots of different whales could be affected if an oil spill happened. ANWR is supposed to be a sanctuary for animals, but the drilling would cause deforestation, sewage, sludge, scrap metal, and over 60 wasteland sites. There would be pollution, which could turn into acid rain and smog. All the native animals there could be killed, and there wouldn’t be any more left.
Humans need an opinion, too. Almost everyone agrees that drilling in ANWR is a good thing, such as the Inupiat people in Alaska. They think that delays in development have deprived them of the benefits and resources that can be found in their home, so they support drilling. Obviously, the government thinks this is good, too. Because they say that 735,000 jobs would be created if they drilled in ANWR. But this won’t have much benefit to anyone, because it would be impossible to only drill 8% of the land. This is because the oil is all spread out, not concentrated in one place.
Drilling for oil in ANWR might have a benefit to our economy, but then there won’t be a place for the animals to live. Plus, what will happen when the oil runs out? Will they tear up more land? Then the whole US could become a wasteland, and there won’t be any more oil here. We will have to rely more on foreign oil. This is why the US should not drill in ANWR.
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