Environmentally Challenged

 Author's Note: The purpose of this essay was really meant for Social Studies. As I researched, I thought that it was really meaningful and it seems like a good thing to learn about and for you to read as well.

 Imagine coming home to having your house destroyed. Demolished. Gone. Nothing left for you to come back to. This is how it would be for the animals if they drilled in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Everything would be disturbed and the animals would feel displaced. They should not drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, because it has an effect on the environment, the economy, and the people.

Looking back at oil spills that have occurred in our nation, we watched the animals struggle being covered in oil, the beautiful water that used to glisten, now black and dull. It even puts an impact on  the people, worried for what could happen. If oil were to be drilled, species could be effected if they get too close and people are risking theirs lives even getting near the animals that live there. Sadly, trees would have to be taken down for the massive machines to get through. Usually before somebody thinks to do something, you’d think that they would care about how it would effect others before it could effect themselves.

Though the environment is a big deal in this whole matter, the economy, where we would need the money from, is too. As the years go on, we are using more oil than we are actually producing. Foreign oils are being used because we don’t have enough. Our nation alone uses 21 million barrels of oil per day. How much do you think is wasted? Drilling in the Arctic would do nothing to lower today’s gas price either. According to ANWR, they don’t even think that there is enough oil to last our nation six months so there wouldn’t be any point in wrecking something just so they can get their, what would seem to be, an ounce of oil in one million gallons.

As Document D, the packet received in Social Studies class, some of the natives that live in Alaska near the refuge believe that it would be okay to completely destroy the land to get more oil because of how it could benefit them in the north. They think that it would get them more attention because nobody really cares about the arctic. Others feel that it is totally wrong because of how it could affect their way of living and they want to keep their so called “habitat” the way it is. Natural.

Drillers should not drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because of its harmful effects on the environment, the people, and the economy. The next time that you have to make a decision that could potentially harm something, think before you act. Our decisions effect our future.

• "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Wilderness Icon | Alaska Wilderness League." Alaska Wilderness League. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://www.alaskawild.org/our-issues/arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-campaign/>.
• Document D