Impact of Petroleum Exploration on the Environment - Term Paper Example

Impact of Petroleum Exploration upon the Environment [Name of the Student] [Name of the University] Impact of Petroleum Exploration upon the Environment I. Background A. History of Oil Exploration Oil and gas companies, across the globe are being compelled by declining resources to undertake drilling in the less accessible areas. Thus, the Arctic region has emerged as a new area for such exploration. It has been estimated that there are 90 billion barrels of oil and 669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the area above the Arctic Circle. This constitutes 22% of the undiscovered conventional resources of the planet[Sch122]. Moreover, it is believed that most of these resources are to be found under the Arctic seas. These regions can be reached much more easily than before, due to the reduced ice cover brought about by global warming. Nations like Russia and Norway have been vigorously developing offshore Arctic programs, and this has resulted in territorial rights disputes[Sch122]. The early oil explorers had to rely upon surface signs for detecting its presence. However, in the early 20th century, geophysical investigations were employed in oil exploration. One of the more successful methods was reflection seismology. This method measured the time taken by acoustic waves to return to their source, above the ground, after being reflected by the interfaces between various subterranean rock formations[Arm10]. In the latter half of the previous century, seismographic technique incorporated electronic data recording, computation, processing and visualization. This resulted in three-dimensional and time-lapse surveys, and have proved to be indispensable for identifying new production wells, monitoring hydrocarbon movement in reservoirs, and identifying oil bearing areas that had been overlooked by the existing oil wells[Arm10]. B. Importance of Oil as a Source of Energy Oil exploration has been conducted across the world for decades, and just a few regions have not been fully explored. Some of these partially explored regions are located in Eastern Siberia, Northern China, West Africa, Arctic and the Antarctic. Despite the extraordinary progress achieved in surveying techniques, it has not been possible to completely eliminate the risk of digging wells that do not produce adequate amounts of oil[Arm10]. The present day consumption of oil is around 85 million barrels per day, across the world. Out of this, 19 million barrels are used daily by the US. In addition, China, India and other rapidly developing nations require large quantities of oil for their development purposes. This has generated the fear that the oil supply will soon be insufficient to satisfy the projected demand[The155]. C. Environmental Impact of Oil Exploration A Venezuelan consortium of environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), namely ARA Network, has listed out the primary environmental problems caused by the oil industry, since its inception. These include; first, damage to ecosystems, especially in Anzoátegui, Monagas, and the Maracaibo Lake basin, which had drastically damaging effect upon the biodiversity, water and soil. Second, the Lake, the largest freshwater ecosystem of South America, was badly damaged by the constant oil spills and leaks along its shores[Gab13]. Third, the operating areas and oil-duct corridors have produced wide ranging environmental harm, such as oil waste pits that are at risk of leaching and flooding. Fourth, there has been a substantial degradation of the natural landscape. As such, 10,000 oil pools had been detected in Venezuela, and there were large quantities of hazardous waste material, such as brown fields and drilling mud[Gab13]. The food chain and reproductive cycle of an entire population of marine life could be destroyed by the oil, mud and other substances resulting from the drilling process. The marine estuaries tend to be especially vulnerable to these activities, as toxins, including hydrocarbons, remain in the sediments where the eggs are to be hatched and the young have to commence life[Ros09]. II. Advantages A Economic Development 1. Living standards of societies. The standard of living of a society improves due to oil exploration. An example is provided by Nigeria. During the 1950s, oil was discovered in this nation, and the focus shifted to this sector of the economy to the detriment of the other sectors. Subsequently, the Central Bank of Nigeria disclosed that the total oil revenue increased from 7,253 million naira in 1983 to 106,155.4 million naira by 1993[Olu11]. 2. Economic infrastructure. Oil has emerged as a critical catalyst for the world economy, and this has been in vogue from more than a century. Oil, per se, constitutes around 2.5% of the world GDP. However, it constitutes a third of the primary energy supply of mankind. This proportion increases to 50% when the contribution of natural gas is included[Car134]. 3. Industrial development. Oil exploration provides several advantages. For instance, a large amount of income is produced by the oil producing nations of the world[Olu11]. B. Social Development 1. Health. Nevertheless, human health can be significantly harmed by oil spills. For instance, light crude oil spills can lead to irritation of the skin. Upon being swallowed, even in small quantities, it produces stomach disorders, nausea and diarrhea[Med151]. 2. Education. The education of children is compromised by pollution, which can lead to learning disabilities and cognitive damage. For instance, if the lead levels in the blood of children, up to the age of two years, are in excess of 10μg/dL then cognitive impairment and learning disabilities tend to extensive. In fact, a linear relationship had been established between education and health status of the population[Bla141]. III. Disadvantages A. Air Pollution 1. Carbon emissions. The process of oil and gas development produces several contaminants of the atmosphere. Moreover, air pollution harms the health of the communities that are in the vicinity of oil and gas development[Ear]. 2. Climate Change. Methane pollution occurs when excess natural gas in oil and gas wells is burned. This is an important promoter of the greenhouse effect and climate change[Ear]. B. Water Pollution The storage and disposal of drilling and production waste in pits has the capacity to contaminate surface and ground water[Ear]. 1. Contamination of water resources. A coating in oil proves to be fatal for animals and plants. Birds undergo hypothermia that takes their life, as their feathers are deprived of their waterproofing quality, turtles succumb due to the ingestion of oil-coated food, and animals undergo disorientation and other behavior transformations after inhaling volatile organic compounds[Ros09]. 2. Marine life. The marine environment experiences considerable detrimental impact, on account of offshore exploration. Natural seepage infuses the marine environment with a substantial amount of harmful hydrocarbons. In addition, the rapid influx and concentration of oil during spills proves to be fatal for the localized marine communities and organisms[Ros09]. C. Land Pollution 1. Erosion of soil. Some researchers have claimed that the substances released into the environment during drill cutting, drilling mud and other oil production operations; produced oil and water, fluids and general industrial waste. Although, several precautions are taken, accidents take place in the process of drilling for crude oil. These had been the result of human error and failure of equipment[Olu11]. 2. Degradation of soil. Ultra-Violet radiation from sunlight breaks down the oil components, whenever there is oil on the surface. Furthermore, bacteria invade the oil droplets suspended the water, and this leads to the consumption of the biodegradable components. Certain oil fractions persist under a variety of hostile conditions. For instance, asphaltens do not undergo biochemical and photo degradation for a considerable period. Depending upon the composition of the oil, there will be considerable variation in the proportion that undergoes such change. The rapidity with which these changes take place is determined by temperature, intensity of the light and the degree of turbulence of the water[Jer10]. 3. Environmental degradation. The majority of the oil spill of the 1970s had taken place due to the accidental discharge of oil. This had been caused by equipment failure, malfunctioning, overloading, and abrasion or corrosion of machine parts. Between 1976 and 1983, Nigeria had 1,360 oil spills, with a total of 1,426 million barrels released into the environment[Olu11]. Some of the major pollution indicators or pollutants of the oil industry are; drilling mud and cuttings, oil, grease, chlorine, sulfides, turbidity, suspended solids, heat, heavy metals, Chemical Oxygen Demand[Olu11]. IV. Recommendations Environmental Policies A compulsory regime regarding oil exploration and production could be implemented by incorporating oil rigs specifically within the CLC92 and Fund Convention. Although, these Conventions have demonstrated their effectiveness, several nations have refused to become a party to them [All111]. This includes the US, which is one of the largest stakeholder of the oil industry. 1. Local. This situation could be improved by involving the US in the review of these Conventions, and if higher limitations were to be stipulated for oil rigs. In addition, it would have to be ensured that the oil industry and tankers provided fair and equitable contributions. A major difficulty arises due to economic claims frequently exceeding the reinstatement and cleanup costs, and this should be addressed by these Conventions, if they were to be revised to include oil rigs[All111]. 2. Global. Moreover, it has been proposed that it may be possible in the long term to consolidate liability for pollution from any source. It is necessary to have in place a generalized and single liability regime. This would be a welcome change from the different regimes that have been addressing problems, as they come to the fore[All111]. C. Promoting the Use of Renewable Energy Resources It is essential to bring about a transition in the sources of energy towards the less polluting sources, such as renewable energy sources. This will ensure that environmental targets are reached and that the nation achieves sustainable development[Böl15]. Conclusion Oil exploration has been conducted via scientific methods, throughout the world, since the beginning of the 20th century. In this global environment, energy and power are crucial for the development of a nation. Thus, oil is an essential commodity in the modern world. Despite its advantages, like economic development, industrial growth and educational improvement, oil exploration leads to the pollution of water, land and air. Its overall effect endangers all types of life. Moreover, it contaminates water, due to environmental pollution. This situation can be controlled by encouraging the use of alternate renewable energy sources. Moreover, policies to mitigate environmental pollution should be adopted by the local as well as global entities. These policies should be implemented strictly, and coordinated by the various nations and economic regimes of the world. In addition, a single policy at the global level, should be adopted, to make such implementation, more effective. List of References Sch122: , (Schmidt, 2012, p. a194), Arm10: , (Armaroli & Balzani, 2010), The155: , (The National Academy of Sciences, 2015), Gab13: , (Gabaldón, 2013, p. 329), Gab13: , (Gabaldón, 2013, p. 330), Ros09: , (Rose, 2009, p. 30), Olu11: , (Olujimi, Emmanuel, & Odunwole, 2011, p. 112), Car134: , (Carlyle, 2013), Med151: , (MedlinePlus, 2015), Bla141: , (Blacksmith Institute, 2014), Ear: , (Earthworks, n.d.), Jer10: , (Jernelöv, 2010, p. 356), Olu11: , (Olujimi, Emmanuel, & Odunwole, 2011, p. 113), All111: , (Allen, 2011, p. 106), Böl15: , (Bölük & Mert, 2015, p. 593), Read More