Verified Document

Environmental Science Class.. Title The Oil Industry Essay

¶ … Environmental Science class.. Title the Oil Industry Environment APA Guidelines format 4-6 References I 4-6 Pages Written text photos / data tables

The effects of the Oil Industry on the Environment

In spite of the fact that society has experienced significant moral progress in the recent decades, people continue to associate well-being with financial profits regardless of the effects that their actions have on society and this is reflected by the fact that the oil industry has inflicted great damage on the environment in the last few years. The fact that society has come to depend on oil makes it especially difficult for someone to experience positive results as a result of criticizing individuals involved in the oil business. Communities who have access to free oil wells are privileged and society has virtually learnt to exploit any oil source that it can possibly find. This has devastating consequences on the environment, considering that oil pollutes greatly and that oil-related accidents are typically known to affect nature.

Until humanity comes across a more economical energy source or until oil wells are dried out conditions are likely to remain critical in the oil industry. "Oil production, and/or transportation, can disrupt the human population, and the animal and fish life of the region. Oil waste dumping, production pollution, and spills wreak havoc on the surrounding wildlife and habitat. It threatens the extinction of several plants, and has already harmed many land, air, and sea animal and plant species" (Dabbs 1996). There are virtually innumerable negative effects that oil production has on society as a whole, but these effects are generally ignored as a result of the fact that influential corporations are focused on maximizing their profits.

The oil industry experienced significant progress during the recent decades and...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

The fact that oil was not initially perceived as an energy resource that would have a negative influence on the environment played an important role in getting people's attention away from the actual root of the problem. As the industry developed and as more and more investors got involved in exploiting this resource it became obvious that it was too late for ecologists to do something.
When considering the attitudes of countries that have oil and the attitudes of multinational oil companies, one is likely to discover that they have conflicting interests. Although they are interested in making profits as a result of holding large amounts of oil, host communities sadly stand by an observe as influent players step in and significantly degrade the natural environment in these countries. Furthermore, the profits that these communities make are not even comparable with the overall profits made by corporations investing in these areas. Similar to any other company interested in making profits, oil corporations are solely concerned about maximizing returns on their investments (Taylor 2010, 329).

The numbers associated with oil industry environmental damage are downright horrifying. Oil spills are one of the most significant issues related to the oil industry and about 2300 cubic meters of the substance are spilled in approximately 300 incidents on a yearly basis in Nigeria alone. Gas flaring is responsible for soot that accumulates on earth or on buildings and acts like a dangerous pollutant for flora and fauna that it interacts with. Oil needs to be transported through large pipelines and their presence destroys vegetation in most areas, brings on a significant risk for people living next to them, and renders soil unusable. Water sources are essential in some areas because people are too poor to procure it…

Sources used in this document:
Works cited:

Ali-Akpajiak, Sofo, C.A. Pyke, Toni, "Measuring poverty in Nigeria," (Oxfam, 2003)

Struzik, Ed, "Killing Wolves: A Product ofAlberta's Big Oil and Gas Boom," retrieved March 29, 2012, from the Yale Environment 360 Website: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/alberta_canada_energy_boom_places_wolves_in_the_crosshairs/2459/

Taylor, Dorcetta, E. "Environment and Social Justice: An International Perspective," (Emerald Group Publishing, 2010)

McQuaid, John, "The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill:An Accident Waiting to Happen" retrieved March 29, 2012, from the Yale Environment 360 Website: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_gulf_of_mexico_oil_spill_an_accident_waiting_to_happen/2272/
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Environmental Science the World's Oceans
Words: 3142 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

" Beyond that, another 26,000 tons of "plastic packaging material" is dumped by the fishing industry each year, Sverdrup's text maintains. Why is plastic trash so bad? First, there are over 50 million tons of plastics produced in the U.S. annually, and secondly, a good deal of that plastic is responsible "for crippling and killing tens of thousands of marine animals yearly." The Depleted Fisheries: There are plenty of existing threats

Oil and Gas Industry in
Words: 19369 Length: 70 Document Type: Dissertation

A large body of literature has treated many different aspects of these influences on Asia, Europe and the United States (Busser & Sadoi, 2003). The importance of the study relates to the current trends taking place in Libya where aggressive steps have been taken in recent years to normalize relations with the international community. For example, Libya opened up its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction to international

Environmental Justice & Executive Order
Words: 9648 Length: 35 Document Type: Research Proposal

For example, unequal protection may result from land-use decisions that determine the location of residential amenities and disamenities. Unincorporated, poor, and communities of color often suffer a "triple" vulnerability of noxious facility siting." (Bullard, 1998) Finally, 'Social Equity' is that which "assesses the role of sociological factors (race, ethnicity, class, culture, life styles, political power, etc.) on environmental decision making. Poor people and people of color often work in the

Environmental Ethics and Morality What
Words: 2889 Length: 9 Document Type: Thesis

Also, careless people with guns shot the condors at will; and when ranchers put out poison to kill wolves and grizzly bears the condors then fed on those carcasses and were poisoned as well. In 1937 the U.S. Congress set aside a refuge for the condors in Santa Barbara County and in Ventura County in 1947, trying to protect these great birds, Peeters explains (p. 114). By 1987, there were

Corporate Social Responsibility CSR Is a Legal
Words: 1508 Length: 4 Document Type: Case Study

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a legal and ethical mechanism, which businesses adopt to effect positive changes on social issues such as environment, health, economic conditions and others. This is primarily a philanthropic function of a business entity that empowers the community through various activities. Many organizations use community based initiatives aimed at sustainable development for local residents. It has become imperative for businesses to develop CSR initiatives in the

Water Legislation Origins of Environmental
Words: 11427 Length: 37 Document Type: Dissertation

The Leblanc alkali production processes were especially pernicious, but they followed along the lines of previous industrial processes. In other words, the first British environmental legislation was a response not so much to a qualitative change in industrial processes and their environmental impact but more to a quantitative increase in sources of pollution that had up to that point been (if only barely) tolerable. Legislation Arising From Public Anger At the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now