White Abyss essays

White Abyss essays In a world where the need for material goods and natural resources is skyrocketing people often times forget the impact a few years of human disturbance will have on the fragile ecosystem that is planet Earth. An ongoing debate about this matter occurs between environmentalists and big business men, Democrats and Republicans, people and the planet. What are the risks to the well being of this world and the beings that live upon it should humans decide to drill deep into the ground in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary searching for a limited resource? What is the Artic National Wildlife Refuge? The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a huge portion of land in the northeastern most reaches of Alaska, which may also be home to 11.4 billion barrels of oil buried deep beneath the reserve. The 8.9 million square acre reserve became a protected area in 1957 when Secretary of the Interior Fred Seaton set out to preserve the unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values of what was then known as the Arctic National Wildlife Range. The range was renamed Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), doubled in size to over 19 million square acres, and drilling for oil in this area was outlawed in 1980, when Congress passed a law stating that: Production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is prohibited and no leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the [refuge] shall be undertaken until authorized by an act of Congress. The ANWR has come to be known as the American Serengeti for its unmatched number of wildlife inhabitants and natural beauty. Among others polar bears, caribou, and over 160 species of migratory birds make their home in the ANWR. The refuge is in fact home to the greatest concentration and variation of wildlife north of the Arctic Circle (defenders.org/wildlife/arctic/arissue.html). The ANWR is not only home to the...