Shale Gas And Its Effects On Human Health Essay - 2163 Words

Due to innovations in technologies and techniques involved with shale gas extraction, shale gas production in the United States, as well its natural gas production as a whole, as increased tremendously over the past several decades. As the abundance of domestic energy continues to grow, American consumers have observed declines in gas prices across the nation. However, cheap gas comes with a price: the negative impacts that cheap oil prices and shale gas extraction have on the U.S.’s environment, economics, and political relations raises questions as to whether America’s shale gas revolution is entirely beneficial. Although shale gas offers the potential for abundant and cheap energy and reduced reliance on foreign energy, the harmful impacts on human health and the environment caused by shale gas extraction as well as the negative effects of cheap oil prices on foreign and national economies and the geopolitical imbalances caused by the shift in energy dominance outwei gh the benefits of shale oil. The process of extracting shale gas today involves two methods: horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Horizontal drilling enables the well to conform to the formation and extract gas from thousands of meters below the entrance of the well. Because the shale rock formation is typically flat and approximately 90 meters thick, this method of drilling maximizes the area of rock that is in contact with the wellbore – in comparison to vertical wells, horizontal wells reduceShow MoreRelatedFracking Technology On Extraction Of Shale Gas And Oil Essay1041 Words   |  5 PagesFracking technology. What are the environmental and health issues related to fracking technology on extraction of shale gas and oil? Unconventional gas and oil extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracking or fracking is a technique used to extract shale gas and oil, on which high pressure fluid is injected, mainly water, containing sand, chemicals or other granular materials which are pumped with a fluid medium under pressure into rock, so that fractures formed in this processRead MoreFracking And The Gas Industry1573 Words   |  7 PagesSince the turn of the millennium, hydraulic fracturing - a process for extracting natural gas- has spread rapidly across the United States. High volume hydraulic fracturing, or â€Å"fracking,† is a process in which water and chemicals are injected into shale formations underground in order to release trapped natural gas. As fracking spreads throughout the United States, there are more and more reported cases of contaminated drinking water and illness among citizens living near fracking sites. Even withRead MoreThe Effects Of Shale Gas On Global Warming And Climate Change And The Environment1658 Words   |  7 PagesSergio Rodriguez Sci. 351A Due: 07-30-15 The Effect of Shale Gas on Global Warming and Climate Change and the Environment Global warming is a very disputed issue due to the fact that in every situation, there are two sides to a story. Some believe global warming is not an issue seeing as there have been trends in the past that indicate that the world changes constantly and that it will once again come to its natural order. Like geologist Charles Lyell once stated with his idea of uniformitarianismRead MoreTwo major world concerns today are the energy crisis and economic instability. Hydrofracking may be1400 Words   |  6 Pagesoil and gas areas which could not be developed previously to be productive. Cooley and Donnelly (2012), experts on global energy policy; state that the world natural gas reserves will be more than enough for the next 130 years, and the latest extraction technology of shale gas can bring a significant contribution to opportunities of gas industry. According to a report by the International Energy Agency (2012), if Europe and Asia countries follow the USA example in the developme nt of shale gas productionRead More Fracking and its Effect on the Environment Essay1464 Words   |  6 PagesOil and natural gas companies have developed a way to drill for natural gas, a process called hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Natural gas is a flammable gas mixture consisting of methane and several other hydrocarbons that occur naturally underground. Natural gas is used as fuel for heating, cooking, and even in some automobiles like the â€Å"RideOn† buses. This technique has only recently become economically feasible with the rising prices of fossil fuels, and there is much potentialRead MoreThe Process Of Hydraulic Fracturing1387 Words   |  6 Pagesis interdependent and interrelated with one another. Scales: In our fast-paced and globalizing world, it is important to know how phenomena and processes effect scales within society. Between the global and local scales, there are world regions and national state scales. These different scales are important because different aspects of human geography are understood best, and analyzed more effectively, at different spatial levels (Knox, 2010, p. 11). In order to analyze the process of hydraulicRead MoreNatural Gas Is A Pillar Of Canadas Energy Resources Landscape1251 Words   |  6 PagesNatural gas is a pillar in Canada’s energy resources landscape. Industry reports (IBISWorld) indicate that the oil and gas industries (e.g., gas extraction, gas field services, natural gas distribution) in Canada are expected to generate revenues of over $56.4bn in 2015. The Canadian Energy Research Institute projects Western Canada’s natural gas sector to add $2.3tn to Canada’s GDP between 2015 and 2035. While, sales are projected to ge nerate $1.4tn in sales and $400bn in taxes, as well as attractRead MoreHydraulic Fracturing And Its Effects On The Environment1087 Words   |  5 Pagesfracturing, also known as fracking, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gases inside. Many people are referring to fracking as an energy revolution that will last America at least 100 years. What they don’t know is that at the rate we are going, it wont last us 40, and the effects that it has on the environment will make earth’s lifespan shorter too. 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The growth in U.S. oil and gas exploration and production made possible by the increase in use of hydraulic fracturing, has raised concerns about its potential to impact human health and the environment. Concerns have been raised by the public about the effects of hydraulic fracturing on quality and quantity of drinking water resources. The hydraulic fracturing