Global Warming, Extraction and Exploration Essay - 6

Global Warming, Extraction and Exploration - Essay Example Oil plays an endless and crucial part of the modern world. Other than being a critical source of energy, petroleum items serve as feedstock for a few purchaser products, subsequently playing a developing and pertinent part in individuals lives. Then again, the oil business holds a noteworthy capability of risks for nature and may affect it at distinctive levels ranging from air, water, soil, and every living being on the planet. Consequently, the broadest and hazardous outcome of oil and gas industry exercises is contamination and pollution. Pollution is experienced throughout all phases of oil and gas creation, from exploratory exercises to refining. Some of the main environmental effects include; While the greater part of global warming happens in the in rich nations such as the United States and other parts of Europe. It is the poorest nations, those that can least bear to adjust to an evolving atmosphere, who are suffering the most. Developing nations economies are hurt when oil is extracted from them, or when they are subject to unpredictable oil imports. Also, when the oil is at last flared and the carbon contained in it discharged into the environment. Oil contributes intensely to diminished agricultural output, extended dry spells, human health effects, displacement of people and other effectively watched and anticipated effects of environmental change (McKibben Para. 3). The impacts of environmental change are as of now being felt everywhere throughout the planet as climate change is turning out to be less predictable and everything from agribusiness and fisheries to the insurance business is being impacted. According to Hunter (24), when conducting oil exploration for offshore oil, the oil companies use seismic waves to analyze the possibilities of the rocks below the water surface to be bearing gas and oil. This process may result in the destruction of tissues and organs of fish and also  alter the means of communication of marine organisms as well as how they search for food.  

Characterize the worlds current energy use situation and discuss Essay

Characterize the worlds current energy use situation and discuss various versions of an energy future as posed by the readings - Essay Example For example, Ayres (2001) focuses on making our present use of energy more efficient since there is technology available that can make more efficient use of our present oil and other energy resources. Instead of looking for new sources of energy or investing in our present sources, in the future envisioned by him, our energy use would become so efficient that economic growth would not be stalled until we have developed sustainable alternative fuels. The issue of development is directly connected with the search for alternative energy since the developing countries of the world depend on the availability of energy that can help them drive their economies. In any given city or country, whenever automobiles are driven, industries operated or to energy is generated to provide electric power to homes and offices, a significant amount of fossil fuels are used (Green, 2005). Of course a certain level of demand for such fuels had been met in the past since there was an abundance of resources but in the future, that demand may not be met if we continue to use fossil fuels in the same inefficient way that we have used them in the past. Ayres (2001) takes a view which focuses on governmental policies with regard to our current use of energy and how governments can mandate laws and regulations which make efficient energy a reality. This would allow significant cuts in the consumption of energy which would not only push back the peak but it would also allow the prices of oil to come down with a reduction in demand. The estimates made by him suggest that the demand for oil could be reduced by as much as half if the appropriate policies are implemented. The idea of pushing back the peak of oil production is discussed at length by Campbell and Laherrere (1998) who come to the conclusion that cheap and plentiful oil is no longer a given. They also report that the discovery of new oil production fields is