How the Arctic Oil Drilling is Impacting Wildlife By: Angelina Shih
Issue 2 Spring 2021
The Arctic National Wildlife refuge is America’s largest owned land. It is 19.6 million acres long and is the home of over 5,500 different species, including polar bears, wolves, caribous and arctic foxes. Unfortunately for the 5,500 of species, the refuge lies on 7.7 to 11.8 billion barrels of oil. Congress had unsuccessfully attempted to open the Arctic for oil drilling for over 50 years, but many reports believe that this time it is likely for the approval to go through and to even become a law. Drilling for oil in the Arctic will hurt the wildlife tremendously due to many reasons.
Oil spills can be one of the main reasons why wildlife can be tremendously hurt. Oil can coat the fur or the feathers of animals, which can be poisonous if ingested. It also destroys the water – repelling abilities which increases the chance of hypothermia. Oil spills can kill plants as well and are very difficult to clean up. It not only hurts wildlife but also the environment. It disturbs PH levels and pollutes the air as well, which can cause global warming.
Offshore oil drilling can throw off the whole ecosystem in the Arctic. If one animal is affected, it can affect other animals as well and it will throw off the balance of nature. For example, seals live on the ice for part of the year and exposure to oil can kill or injure them. Seals are a vital resource for the Alaska Native communities, and they are the primary prey for polar bears. Having seals killed due to oil can create a butterfly effect and it will hurt the polar bears as well because their primary source of food is dwindling. Ashlin S, an eleven-year-old, shared how she felt about the oil drillings. She stated, “It is sad how the government cares so much about the economy that they are not thinking of the long run and how hurting the animals can hurt the people who live and the environment.”
Oil drilling could also affect how other animals communicate with each other. The Beluga whales are at the top of the food chain and they communicate by using clicks, chirps, whistles, and squeals. To have oil drilling, they would need to bring a large number of shipping vessels which can throw off the communication for these delicate creatures.
The economy might benefit tremendously from the Arctic but having to damage the wildlife and environment to do so is not worth it.
Oil spills can be one of the main reasons why wildlife can be tremendously hurt. Oil can coat the fur or the feathers of animals, which can be poisonous if ingested. It also destroys the water – repelling abilities which increases the chance of hypothermia. Oil spills can kill plants as well and are very difficult to clean up. It not only hurts wildlife but also the environment. It disturbs PH levels and pollutes the air as well, which can cause global warming.
Offshore oil drilling can throw off the whole ecosystem in the Arctic. If one animal is affected, it can affect other animals as well and it will throw off the balance of nature. For example, seals live on the ice for part of the year and exposure to oil can kill or injure them. Seals are a vital resource for the Alaska Native communities, and they are the primary prey for polar bears. Having seals killed due to oil can create a butterfly effect and it will hurt the polar bears as well because their primary source of food is dwindling. Ashlin S, an eleven-year-old, shared how she felt about the oil drillings. She stated, “It is sad how the government cares so much about the economy that they are not thinking of the long run and how hurting the animals can hurt the people who live and the environment.”
Oil drilling could also affect how other animals communicate with each other. The Beluga whales are at the top of the food chain and they communicate by using clicks, chirps, whistles, and squeals. To have oil drilling, they would need to bring a large number of shipping vessels which can throw off the communication for these delicate creatures.
The economy might benefit tremendously from the Arctic but having to damage the wildlife and environment to do so is not worth it.
