Environmental Care: The Tragedies of the Logging Industry
This article has been transcribed from a speech I gave in a communications class
The environment is something that should matter to all of us. It is home to the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat and grow. There are many ways t improve our environment, but today I focus on the importance of voting, logging, and fracking and how these issues affect us as individuals, and as an entire species.
Fracking
Fracking is "the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside. There are more than 500,000 active natural gas wells in the US" (David Shukman, BBC). This process is incredibly detrimental to the environment and the planet alike, which is one reason the UK does not allow fracking. This process is only in the exploratory stages, however the UK has already collected enough evidence and data proving how and why fracking is dangerous, followed by substantial evidence to prove fracking causes earthquakes.If the government does issue a grant allowing fracking in a specific area in the UK, it is heavily regulated and overseen with great care so that fracking chemicals are not backing up into the drinking water system. Meanwhile in America, the EPA released a report that stated they officially had enough evidence "to back a claim that Pennsylvania water wells were [also] polluted with methane" due to fracking (The Wildlife Society). The Wildlife Society also stated that the sudden food contamination explosion that has been occurring is because we are washing food in these contaminated waters.It is important to note these poisons affect more than just people considering animals drink this water too, as well as insects and plants, which means our ecosystems are being poisoned above and below the land. Just as chemicals get pumped into the ground, they also get released back into the surface which thus ruins the land around the fracking area. Between the chemicals and the equipment used, fracking turns the area of the site into a desolate wasteland(see fig.1); these affected areas are no longer able to sustain life, resulting in wildlife displacement as shown below:
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fig.1: "FRACKING PUBLIC LANDS: Is the BLM Bowing to Industry Pressure on New Fracking Rules?" by Briana Mordick [click to enlarge] |
Unfortunately the poisoning does not stop with the land or the water considering the air is also being heavily contaminated. According to a three year study from the Colorado School of Public Health, carcinogen benzene and toxic hydrocarbons are among the many hazardous chemicals being released into the air. These mentioned chemicals cause respiratory and neurological problems, yet Colorado drill laws state that it is legal to drill 150 feet from civilian houses, which means these chemicals are being air born near homes where children are growing up. This is in addition to the poisons getting leaked into the land they play on, and the water they drink from. Moreover, according to The Wilderness Society, it has been declared in America that the "proposed rules [on fracking] do not require public disclosure about [the released] fracking chemicals until after the drilling has been completed."
Logging
Fracking poses a harmful strain on our world, but it's certainly not the only culprit.The United States Department of Labor says "logging is the most dangerous occupation in the United States." This is because it is not well regulated, not unionized, the equipment used is incredibly heavy, and the loggers work long hours on unstable ground. This can lead to tragic results, such as immediate death considering accidents are not uncommon.
The amount of logging we do creates other issues such as wildlife displacement too, and stray unclaimed logs clog up beautiful water sources, and the equipment creates heavy amounts of air pollution, as noted by many logging sites. Moreover, according to an Earth Science Professor at Western Oregon University, landslides are another tragic aspect of logging, and a main problem behind logging as these can displace people from their homes, capable of killing thousands of people in a single sitting. These landslides are becoming more common due to the fact that without trees there is nothing keeping rainfall from washing the soil away. Trees keep soil in place with their strong roots, and when cut the roots rot away leaving loose soil to fall away, covering roads and wiping them out (see Fig.2), or sweeping houses away.
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| Fig.2: landslide image from http://getemergencyprepared.com/landslide.html [click to enlarge] |
There is an upside to the logging industry as it provides jobs, and it is currently our only source for homes, paper, etc. However, with the introduction of hemp and bamboo, other forms of sustainable products could easily replace the need for logging, which would reduce landslides, protect our trees, preserve habitats, and greatly reduce worker hazards.
Voting
Presidents determine who is on the supreme court who then agree on regulations. The President can also help pass bills such as the Clean Air Act, which "is a United States federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level. It is one of the United States' first and most influential modern environmental laws, and one of the most comprehensive air quality laws in the world" (EPA). The president can help make possible organizations that favor on the half of employees, programs such as BOLI which advocates for the favor of workers so they are treated like people, raising their wages and not put into positions of being pushed into working as slave labor. While worker codes are not ideal yet, they are much better than they were fifty years ago. With organizations like BOLI working in favor of loggers machine accidents during logging can stop, and if we push these organizations to oversee fracking companies and regulating them, oil spills and water contamination could ultimately come to a stop.People often say it does not matter who is in office because the president is unable to actually accomplish anything and thus voting does not matter. But it is not true. The changes that occur in our country happen because of the president, as it is the president who can make the necessary changes to either help our environment, or set us back several lifetimes. That is why it is important to vote for the person you believe will really make the changes that help us move forward; the one who will give us a safe clean planet we can live on for all the thousands of centuries to come. For as we begin to grow and the next generations start taking over, we need a world for them, and the generations to come after them; every change we make in the logging industry, and every fracking station we put an end to, and every president we elect can help us move closer to a better cleaner environment, and that is something we all need to consider. We only have one planet, and wee need to take care of it.
Citations:
"Logging." Occupational Safety & Health Administration. United States Department of Labor, n.d. Web. 14 May 2016. <https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/logging/>.
"Summary of the Clean Air Act." Laws and Regulations. EPA, 17 Nov. 2015. Web. 16 May 2016. <https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act>.
Landslides and Mudslides. 2016. Sky Valley Limited. GetEmergencyPrepared.com. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://www.getemergencyprepared.com/landslide.html>.
Mordick, Briana. Natural Resources Defense Council. 2013. EcoWatch. FRACKING PUBLIC LANDS: Is the BLM Bowing to Industry Pressure on New Fracking Rules?. Web. 17 May 2016. <http://ecowatch.com/2013/02/13/blm-bow-to-industry-fracking/>.
Rivera, Terra. BP Oil Spill. 2015. The Kentucky Journal. Bp Oil Spill Settlement Is Largest In American History, But Is It Really As Great As It Seems?. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://www.kjeanrl.com/full-blog/2015/7/13/riverablog>.
Sanburn, Josh. What Contaminated Water Looks Like. 2015. flintwaterstudy.org, Flint, MI. Flint’s Water Crisis Explained in 3 GIFs. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://time.com/4191864/flint-water-crisis-lead-contaminated-michigan/>.
Unknown, . "Fracking dangers: 7 ugly reasons why wilderness lovers should be worried." Fracking. The Wilderness Society, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 14 May 2016. <http://wilderness.org/blog/fracking-dangers-7-ugly-reasons-why-wilderness-lovers-should-be-worried?gclid=CjwKEAjwguu5BRDq8uSKhaKIzDkSJACQ7WJlIZjNEE5GkOzzqY-43WXO3MqBldBEHTI_viIS0fT01xoCI2Pw_wcB>.
Unknown, . "What is fracking and why is it controversial?." UK. BBC News, 16 Dec. 2015. Web. 14 May 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401>.
Unknown, . I Have a Dream. 2016. Teshan7. Web. 16 May 2016. <http://tashan7.com/i-have-a-dream>.
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