In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of oil drilling operations in remote locations around the world. This has brought economic benefits to some countries, though it has also raised concerns about the environmental impact of these operations. Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.

 

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of oil drilling operations in remote locations around the world. This has brought economic benefits to some countries, though it has also raised concerns about the environmental impact of these operations. 

Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.

This answer is submitted by BAWA IELTS Ferozepur following the plagiarism policy. The citation belongs to Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG), line pipe, and drill pipe applications.

Undeniably, extracted crude oil and natural gas help turn the gears of society, from powering the most common transportation to making sure we can turn lights at home. Accordingly, this drilling provides advantages to various nations, especially host ones, since they can mushroom revenues. However, it impacts the environment adversely. Henceforth, I will discuss the mentioned viewpoints with a suitable judgement. 

On the one hand, this concept creates jobs and boosts the overall economy. It means the nations can open plenty of platforms for job seekers in this field. Recently, nations like Russia, Saudi Arabia, and China have achieved economic stability due to recovering crude oil and natural gas. According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the United States provided nearly 2 lakh jobs in this sector. 

In addition, this scenario paves the way for new habitats because oil rigs can help create unique habitats for different creatures, such as birds, fish and other water animals. Therefore, the countries can amplify their biodiversity. It is beneficial to the economy as well. An excellent example is how retired oil rigs off the coast of California are seen as potential artificial reefs to create new habitats. 

On the other hand, oil and gas drilling has a profound impact on our wildlands and communities. Drilling projects operate around the clock generating pollution, fueling climate change, disrupting wildlife and damaging public lands. Moreover, infrastructure built for oil and gas extraction can leave behind radical impacts on wildlands because the construction of roads, facilities and drilling sites requires the installation of heavy equipment and can destroy big chunks of pristine wilderness. The damage is often irreversible.

Likewise, large oil spills are significant killers of wildlife and can cause long-lasting damage to marine ecosystems. For instance, during an incident that happened in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, oil spilt across 68,000 square miles of sea surface and killed approximately 1 million seabirds, 5,000 marine mammals and 1,000 sea turtles. As a result, this drilling is unfriendly to our ecosystem. 

To conclude, oil and gas drilling has become an absolute need as humans are dependent on energy; nonetheless, this concept has devastating outcomes for nature. Consequently, I believe that the demerits outperform the merits.