Drilling in Alaska

Gabe Flanagan

As Americans energy is a very important resource for our everyday lifestyle. The United States is known as the most wasteful and resource consuming country in the world, but this problem is not necessarily the fault of the common American citizen. The United States has developed in such ways that in order to keep up with the times and compete with others you must consume these resources. For example: A business is more likely to hire a man who drives to work every day in his/her car and has a cell-phone, rather than the environmentally friendly person who takes public transit and does not have a convenient way to be contacted. This is because a person with these possessions that are not necessarily environmentally friendly will be more dependable. With these growing amount of “necessities” that Americans are expected to have, our usage of natural resources continues to grow. Oil has become the world’s most precious natural resource, and we see this resource becoming scarcer in front of our very eyes. Technology has been developed in order to preserve the world’s supply of oil, but not all of these technologies are useful to all citizens. The blue-collar worker who needs to haul equipment to work each day cannot depend on the engine of a hybrid car to accomplish this task just as the family of six cannot depend on small energy efficient cars such as a prius to fit everyone comfortably. Americans can all agree that this situation of limited supplies of oil, and with countries as large as China becoming more developed by the day, we will someday have to face this crisis, or has it already come? The question becomes to what length Americans will go in order to preserve their energy inefficient lifestyles. The possibility of drilling in Alaska has become a largely debated topic with another oil crisis hanging over American’s heads. When looking at the facts Americans would make money and oil prices would go down, but only for a limited amount of time. Is it worth it to drill for oil in this wildlife refuge if we will only benefit it for a few years?


The earth is not able to sustain a life-promoting climate with the carnage that humans are implementing on the planet. We see this inability to sustain through recent scientific discoveries such as global warming, and other examples of the earth’s responses to our actions. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was set up by the United States government in order to protect the specific environment which this area encompasses.


Due to locating of oil fields near and surrounding the ANWR it shows promise of containing large amounts of oil, making it a popular prospect for oil companies. The location of the ANWR is fairly distant from most civilization in Alaska. Many see this as another reason that drilling should be allowed in this area. People fail to remember that this area was protected in order to preserve the environment and animals which thrive there in case of situations such as this where the land was being threatened. Reference


The 16.1 million acres of the ANWR contains roughly about 7.06 billion barrels of oil, approximately the amount that was needed in the United States alone in 2005, a number which has most certainly increased since that time. Reference. It is true that profit would be made from drilling in the ANWR, but is money a good enough reason for Americans to make the decision to drill in a place people have worked so hard to protect? In my opinion, the environmental cost would not equal that of the profit which will be made from drilling in the ANWR.


The ANWR is home to unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values and it is not worth it to through away areas such as this away in order to support out gas hungry habits. After the land has been exhausted the ANWR will be left with many roads, refineries and pipelines, all of which will not promote the wildlife and natural habitat that it was designed to protect. As Americans we are expected to be leaders in the world, we should be using this money that we apparently have to set up a method of extraction in Alaska and put it into the development of alternative forms of energy. This process of drilling may benefit us for a year, but then what, we will find ourselves in a similar situation with even more limited possibilities for courses of action. Now is a chance to stand up for the “green revolution” that so many Americans claim to support, now is a chance for you to acknowledge that the environment is more important than yourself.
Kotchen, Matthew J. "Should We Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? An Economic Perspective." Sience Direct (2007). Www.ScienceDirect.com. Web.
Gelb, Bernard A. "ANWR Development: Economic Impacts." (2005). Www.cnie.org. Web.

Water Stress and Contamination

Water Stress and Contamination

Americans dump sixteen tons of sewage into their water supply every minute (HES). In today’s world there are many problems; economic problems, social problems, environmental problems, health problems and so on. The list goes on and on. Although many people do not feel affected by certain problems, in the end, they are. One such problem is water contamination. Most Americans have access to clean, usable water. What most Americans don’t know is how fast the world’s water supply is being contaminated beyond repair. You may be saying ‘so what? I’ve had absolutely no problems with any water contamination’ or ‘it rains and the water supply is replenished regularly’. You may not have any issue with water contamination at the moment but in the future there are guaranteed problems. The fact of the matter is, we are slowly but surely contaminating the world’s water supply. No matter how much rain we receive the current water supply is diminishing. Chemicals, sewage, industrial waste, and many other harmful things are making their way into the drinking water.

People that are especially affected by water contamination are those who live in third world countries and that have no money, few (if any) rights, and have no choice about where they live. These people are exploited and used by companies and organizations that only care about money. Many of these companies cheat, lie and exploit whomever they need to in order to get their money. Often times it is also at the expense of natural resources as well as human rights and living conditions. Unclean mines leak deadly chemicals into native peoples’ water and land causing death and an inability to use the land or water.

One region where water stress and contamination are extremely evident and problematic is Sub-Saharan Africa. Many of Sub-Saharan Africa’s problems stem from water stress and contamination in one way or another. Government disputes over the water system have led to increased risks to water born diseases (such as cholera). Insufficient amounts of water (due to contamination, drought, infrastructure problems and others) have caused violent disputes across borders and within nations in Sub-Saharan Africa causing many deaths and rifts across cultures. There are problems similar to these in other countries but Sub-Saharan Africa suffers greatly because of many problems. The water problems are often created or affected by environmental problems, economic problems, and social problems among others. One of the more widely known crises throughout the world is the Darfur crisis. Part of this crisis can be blamed on water disputes or problems related to the water supply. This is one extreme example of how water contamination/stress has caused major problems for people living in developing countries.

You may wonder what the affects of water contamination and/or lack of potable water has on public health and, according to The Council on Foreign Relations, ‘In a global study conducted by the United Nations, unsafe water is responsible for around 80 percent of diseases and 30 percent of deaths in developing countries throughout the world. In Africa, which accounts for 90 percent of global cases of malaria, water stress plays an indirect role in curing malaria because it impedes the human recovery process.’ We see that here in the United States we are so fortunate to have clean, running water in an apparent abundance all the time. Much of the developing world doesn’t have clean drinking water let alone water for water slides and pools. Sub-Saharan Africa suffers greatly from lack of infrastructure which leads to problems with the water supply. They do not have the technology or the money to have proper sanitation systems. Water problems can be as severe as they are in Sub-Saharan Africa but also can come in different sizes.

Another form of contamination that is often overlooked is that of hormones in the water supply. The extremely high usage of birth control in society today causes numerous problems. These hormones are carried into the water supply through urination and often times find themselves in lakes and stream that are the homes to fish and other water creatures. They live much of their lives in the water with high levels of estrogen in them and begin to give birth to only female offspring. If this trend continues, certain species of fish could become endangered and eventually extinct.

Beyond these types of problems, others still exist. Thousands of contaminants find their way into the drinking water all the time. These chemicals are found in everyday items and simple misuse puts them in our drinking water. All of the chemicals that we use on our lawns, in our cars, and many other places all get soaked up or cycled through the water supply. These chemicals have been linked to cancer and other degenerative diseases.

In summary, if water stress and contamination is not stopped, there will be no clean drinking water, disease will reach an all time high, and society could potentially fall apart.

Being part of the undergraduate class here at the University of Denver, we have a huge responsibility as students and we also have great power. We are all learning and becoming more educated towards our major(s) that will one day, help us become leaders in the world. As we all know, Deforestation and exploitation of our natural resources is one of the hottest and most disputed topics in today’s world. While many simply argue that there is still an abundance of resources left to be used and that we are nowhere near the breaking point of our Earth, other like myself take the opposition. It is vital that we unite not only as the undergraduate student body here at DU but as the people of Earth to unite as one strong voice and push for regulation and educate not only the people that are unaware but also reach out to the wealthy CEO’s making millions while they destroy our planet. It is true that we still have resources that are yet to be put to use such as the oil deposits in ANWR Alaska and plenty of rainforest to be chopped down in the Amazon but have we really measured and considered the effects of cutting down these forests and changing natural habitats, forever? Students, if we continue to consume at this rate, once we begin our lives and introduce the next generation, have you thought about what will be left for them? By using up these resources that, yes they still remain abundant, we are simply acting irrationally and only damaging our own future.

As many of you know, we all live on Earth and everyday we get natural services provided by us for our planet. If we don’t unite and put an end to rapid deforestation, we wont only be losing the cute animals we see on TV and on the way to keystone or one of the many ski resorts but we will also be losing natural services that these rainforest provide to us for free. For example, take a second to relax and take in a nice deep breath of fresh air. Have you ever wondered where this clean fresh air comes from? Or what provides the air cycle to maintain us all alive? Well if you haven’t taken NATS: Ecology for a new millennium, this one of the few services that nature and the forest provides us for free. If we do not push for a reform in the way that we obtain our energy or reach out to the companies that are destroying our planet, one day we might find ourselves having to pay for breathing! Our natural niche is to reproduce and keep our species alive, but if we just sit around and consume everything we set our eyes upon, what will be left for future generation? Alternative energy solutions are out there just waiting to be discovered and by drilling new holes or by cutting down more trees we are simply procrastinating and not coming forth to this challenge that is in our hands!

The time to act is now! We are a powerful force in the world because one day it will be ours to control and lead! If we just snooze off on this issue, what will be left not only for us but what will be left for our future generations? The answer is nothing! Here at DU most of us enjoy trips to the mountains to enjoy of weekend of skiing or hiking. These amusements are provided for us by nature and if we don’t act now, all of this will soon be gone. Individually, we are all bright minded people who will one day be leaders, but together we are a powerful voice that is capable of many things, including protecting and conserving our planet that provides us everything in order to survive and thrive!