Oil and Natural Gas drilling operations are endangering wildlife. Should we stop drilling to save Caribou and Polar Bear? No.
Alaska loves it’s oil. Former Governor (Drill baby drill!) Sarah Palin stated “The polar bear should be removed from the endangered species list because it’s protected status will hamper drilling for oil and gas in Alaska.”
Now everyone (except for those people who have a vested financial interest in oil) likes polar bears. We like them because they are magnificent creatures who spend their whole lives roaming a desolate, ice capped landscape. They survive against all odds bye eating the occasional seal or anything thing else they manage find.
But should we stop drilling to save them? What are our priorities? Which is more important, the Polar Bear or Humans who benefit from having oil in their lives?
I say Humans! We are more important. We unequivocally should NOT stop drilling to save the Polar Bear, the Caribou in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or any other non-human species.
Instead, we MUST stop drilling to save OURSELVES.
- Stop drilling because we burn 25% of the world’s oil here in the U.S., but we have only 3% of the world’s oil reserves.
- Stop drilling, because we’re wasting it. We drive cars and trucks that are too big for us.
- Stop the drilling because we don’t need to be lining politicians pockets with oil lobbyist money.
- Stop drilling because during Hurricane Katrina, 193,000 barrels of oil were spilled as a result of that single storm.
- Speaking of Katrina, the burning of oil results in the release of Co2. Co2 contributes to Climate Change and Climate Change results in the disruption of ocean tidal temperatures, which then results in increased numbers of and severity of hurricanes.
- Stop drilling because regardless of how the politicians like to say that we should free ourselves from the dependence on “foreign” oil, as long as we have an oil based society, we will continue to be slaves to governments and companies. Both foreign and domestic.
- Stop the drilling because we’ll need oil for things like plastics and blacktop for our roads, well into the future.
- Stop the drilling because as long as we think we have an endless supply, renewable energy solutions will only take hold when oil prices spike, we go to war (again) for natural resources, or we have to ration oil and gas.
- Stop drilling because Climate Change is causing rising sea levels.
- Stop drilling because the billions of dollars that are spent on oil drilling just postpones the inevitable transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
- Stop drilling because oil prices are set on the global oil market, so American oil is no cheaper than Saudi oil. We won’t get a discount for oil drilled in the U.S.
- Stop drilling because we can’t solve the world’s energy problems with the same drilling that created them.
- Stop the drilling because Occidental Petroleum Company wants to drill in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Cocuy mountains, endangering the U’wa tribes homeland.
- Stop the drilling because “Fracking” or “Hydraulic Fracturing” is a half century-old process in which a gas company injects water, sand and the chemicals into the ground in an attempt to fracture rocks to release natural gas. This poisons water systems and drinking water.
The argument that stopping the devastation to our environment, for the sake of animals is one that doesn’t work for me. Don’t get me wrong, a natural world full of animals living in conjunction with humanity is very important, but stopping the devastation to the environment to protect against human suffering and death is much more important.
An argument like “You shouldn’t punch your brother in the face because you may break his glasses” is a silly one. You shouldn’t punch your brother in the face because not only is it the wrong thing to do, you are endangering your brothers health. The same thing applies here.
Environmentalism is not about saving the environment, it’s about saving ourselves.
photo credit: ▲Bonard▼
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t agree that humans are more important than polar bears in the great scheme of things. I think it’s true in a limited sense in the same way that my family is more important than other people. They’re more important TO ME, they’re not more important in an objective sense. Our fellow humans are like our family in that sense but we have a moral obligation to all creatures on earth. We should wean ourselves off oil for the sake of all life on earth, including humankind.
By the way there are quite a few typos in the first couple of lines. (its not it’s, governor not govenor, Sarah not Sara). I normally don’t point this stuff out but it’s at a level where it’s distracting, so I thought you might like to know.
Thanks Caitlin!
I’m so happy to see this post because it can help bridge the chasm that’s been created between conservatives and liberals. Climate Change is a global issue effecting ALL LIFE (including humans).
Humans are the only creature with the ability to effect positive (and sadly negative) global change. We must ALL do the right thing for all of us life forms, the polar bears included.
Liberals… hug a conservative.
Conservatives… hug a liberal.
Right on Michael. Couldn’t have said it better. Thanks for the comment!
I think this is a good way to look at things. I don’t tend to think that animals are less important than humans, but “Save the Polar Bears” isn’t really a strong enough campaign to get people to change their ways.