Task: Human Population Discussion

As the human population increases and less-developed countries increase their need for fossil fuels, our need for energy only increases. How will we meet our energy needs in the future? We could drill in areas that were previously off-limits. We could utilize resources that are more difficult to extract. Fracking is a way to mine domestic fossil fuel that were previously inaccessible. We could decrease energy use through conservation and increased efficiency. We could shift from non-renewable to renewable resources. We could increase harvesting of fossil fuels by tapping previously unused deposits and developing new methods of harvesting, such as fracking. Of course, these approaches are not mutually exclusive.

ORDER CUSTOM, PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER

The U.S. National Wildlife Refuge system protects 150 million acres of land. At over 19 million acres, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is the largest of the refuges. The 1.5 million acre Coastal Plain area is thought to contain both oil and natural gas reserves, leading to the question – should drilling be allowed in ANWR, or is protection of the wildlife that lives there more important than the fossil fuel reserves? This controversy has gone on since the 1970s, with many pro and con arguments.

More about ANWR

U.S. Fish and Wildlife http://www.fws.gov/refuges/ (Links to an external site.) http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Arctic/about.html (Links to an external site.) Arctic Refuge and the Wilderness Act: There’s a Connectionhttp://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/wildernessconnection.html (Links to an external site.)

Arctic Power anwr.org (Links to an external site.) Top ten reasons to support ANWR development (Links to an external site.) Making the Case for ANWR (Links to an external site.)

Alaska Dispatch News. January 26, 2015 Obama plays to extremists instead of reason in bid to close off ANWR. (Links to an external site.)

Alaska Journal of Commerce 2015.03.12 State estimates $150B to treasury if ANWR ever opened. (Links to an external site.)

Conservation groups

http://www.defenders.org/arctic-national-wildlife-refuge (Links to an external site.)

http://refugeassociation.org/advocacy/refuge-issues/arctic/ (Links to an external site.)

http://www.audubon.org/conservation/arctic-national-wildlife-refuge (Links to an external site.)http://www.audubon.org/conservation/arctic-refuge (Links to an external site.)https://www.sierraclub.org/lay-of-the-land/2017/10/arctic-what-s-stake (Links to an external site.)

Slide show and video of the area in Alaska that may be drilled for oil and the animals that live there:

http://wilderness.org/content/brink-catastrophe-help-protect-arctic-animals-devastating-oil-spill (Links to an external site.)
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0605/sights_n_sounds/?fs=www3.nationalgeographic.com&fs=plasma.nationalgeographic.com (Links to an external site.)
Does politics influence energy policy and conservation areas? Read below….

When Obama was president

The Obama administration wants to make Arctic drilling ‘safe.’ Is that possible? http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/02/20/the-obama-administration-wants-to-make-arctic-drilling-safe-is-that-possible/ (Links to an external site.)
02/20/2015 BSEE, BOEM Issue Proposed Regulations to Ensure Safe and Responsible Exploratory Drilling Offshore Alaskahttp://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/bsee-boem-issue-proposed-regulations-to-ensure-safe-and-responsible-exploratory-drilling-offshore-alaska.cfm (Links to an external site.)
Drill, with care, in ANWR and everywhere: Our viewhttp://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/02/03/oil-offshore-alaska-atlantic-coast-obama-drilling-editorials-debates/22825167/ (Links to an external site.)\