Alaska is a beautiful place and it shows how wonderful our planet can be. Despite the harsh conditions there is still a lot of life thriving in there and not only that but the landscape can be pretty amazing as well. There are a lot of natural resources in the area and among these resources we find the fossil fuel we currently depend on: oil. We need to look at the pros and cons of drilling it in order to ensure we are doing the best for the region.
Pros of Drilling in Alaska
1. More Oil Into the Market
As it is quite clear, if we keep on drilling the oil that we have in Alaska, we are going to have a larger supply of oil in the market. This is going to decrease the prices of oil throughout the country, and not only that, but is going to improve our overall economy.
2. It Would Lessen Foreign Dependence
We are currently important a lot of oil and that is making us depend on other countries. This means that we have to be nice and to make deals with other countries we would otherwise not need to do if we didn’t have such an oil dependence they control.
3. Improve the Number of Jobs Available
If we improve our internal oil industry, then we are going to need manpower to drill the oil in Alaska and to help transport it to where it needs to be. This means a significant increase in the number of jobs available.
Cons of Drilling in Alaska
1. It Can Decimates Natural Habitat
There is a lot of wildlife in Alaska and if we drill in there we can be destroying the natural habitats of most of this wildlife. If we look back at our own history, we can be leading some species to go extinct if we do this since the species need their own natural habitat to survive.
2. Contamination Risks
Alaska isn’t exactly the area of the country with the highest population density. If we want the oil we drill in there to get to other areas we would need expensive pipes to be built all around, just so that the oil can get to refinery locations. There is always a risk that one of these pipes ends up having a leak and then we contaminate the area with oil.
3. There Might Be No Profit At All
The price of oil has been going down significantly and if they don’t go up, then we are probably not even going to be able to make a profit by drilling oil in Alaska. The operation is incredibly expensive and if we sell the oil at a low price, we are going to lose money with it.
