Two weeks ago, I touched on a topic that is a bit heated and controversial right now, and that is… allowing oil drilling and fracking in the arctic. Fracking is when liquid is injected into the rock formation in the earth at a high pressure in order to extract oil or gas. Drilling is, as the name suggests, a process of extracting oil and gas as well through drilling into the earth. These are similar processes, but drilling uses less water than fracking due to the slightly different procedure.

Unfortunately, opening up the arctic for drilling and fracking is not one of those things that will start and have unseen consequences. If this drilling occurs, we will reap the consequences fairly quickly. The results of drilling for oil in the arctic refuge in North America is a catastrophe that will show its effects in many unfortunate forms, including:

• Oil spills 

• Contamination of drinking water

• Loss of protected landscapes

• Loss of habitat for animals

• Loss of land for indigenous communities

• Decimation of resources

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska has been protected for over 60 years and is the largest remaining stretch of wilderness left in the United States. Under the current administration in the US, there seems to be a disregard for natural land, human safety, and the lives of all species, hence the move to open up this thriving ecosystem for big oil companies. 

If you came here looking for an article that will weigh both sides of this equation, let me get that out of the way quickly. 

Pros: $$$, with oil and gas comes more profit for oil companies 

That’s it. I cannot even truthfully tell you that this will benefit the entirety of the human race, because it simply won’t. It will make those in positions of power and wealth, wealthier, and put us one step closer to irreversible climate destruction (among other issues). 

The Lives at Stake…

Alaska Native Groups

This is yet another example of Native groups in the United States being displaced in order for the government to overtake their land. The land that is going to be auctioned off for drilling belongs to Alaska Natives, but where is their say? It’s important that when we’re talking about conservation and climate that we never forget about also conserving and protecting the human life in the regions that are at risk.

Apart from the loss of their land, with drilling comes the loss of resources that natives rely on for sustaining their lifestyles. This includes the wildlife that they hunt for food in addition to a healthy and balanced ecosystem.

Arctic Foxes

These adorable little foxes wander the arctic spending time both on the shore and far out at sea on pack ice. Since they are so versatile, they have a huge variety of prey species including fish, birds, marine life, and even rodents when times are tough. Since polar bears usually have great hunting success, these guys often follow them around to benefit from the prey the bears catch! Unfortunately, if and when there is an oil spill, arctic foxes are at major risk for ingesting mass quantities of oil when they are both eating and grooming since their prey species are such that would become very easily contaminated. The oil would then bioaccumulate (gradual accumulation of a substance) in their systems, which could wipe out large portions of the population. 

Beluga Whales

These social whales are at the top of their food chain up in the arctic and because of that, not only are they prone to the same bioaccumulation of oil in their systems that foxes are at risk of, but they face other oil-caused problems. Belugas are often referred to as the ‘canaries of the sea’ because of their loud chatter in the water. Unfortunately, this socialization can easily become masked by increased boat traffic. With the shipping vessels brought into the ecosystem for drilling, the beluga’s inability to hear one another will bring about issues with breeding, hunting, and pod socialization which could prove fatal for many belugas. 

Seals

Seals are vital in keeping the artic ecosystem running smoothly. Not only are they a major resource for the Alaska Native communities, but also for the animals that consume them! Ringed and bearded seals in the arctic serve as the main food source for polar bears (although you can also find ribbon and spotted seals in the region). Seals are extremely sensitive and any exposure to oil in their ecosystem could injure or kill them; and if we take seals out of the equation, we may as well count polar bears out as well.

Not to mention, they’re super cute. Who doesn’t love an animal that is mostly blubber?!

Walruses

Sometimes I feel like walruses are underappreciated. They are such an impressive species! Their long white canine teeth are used to defend themselves against predators like polar bears, to assert dominance, and to dig into the ice to pull their bodies up onto land. Besides being underrated and adorably blubbery, they are a key species for Alaska Natives who often hunt them to feed their families. They spend much of their time floating on sea ice and unfortunately, with oil drilling comes icebreaking ships. These ships will ram right through walrus populations, and those that can stay clear of the ships will likely be taken out by oil spills in the region. 

Polar Bears

The one we’ve all been waiting for (unless you’re more of a blubber person, then I guess their predator may not be your favorite). Polar bears are often seen as the face of the arctic. Spending time on land, on ice in the middle of the sea, and swimming, these guys are actually classified as marine mammals! They mostly feed on seals and spend over half of their time on the lookout for blubber; however, with expansion of oil and gas will come spills that will wipe out all of the above species. This is a problem for polar bears because they will either eat the above species and bioaccumulate oil in their bodies which will kill them, or they will not be able to find any food and will starve to death. We’re not leaving them with very good options.

Now what?

We’ve established that with arctic drilling comes displaced human populations, major climate impact, the collapse of an ecosystem, and likely species die off. So what do we do about it? This is a two part issue.

First, the trump administration is set to start allowing bids to come in from companies who want to lease plots of land for drilling and fracking. While the actual oil and gas collection will not begin right away, the rights of this land will be signed over and once that happens it may be too late. 

Second, Joe Biden has the intention of making the arctic refuge protected indefinitely if elected. This is great news, however, if the bidding begins before the election, regardless of who wins the presidential campaign, these companies will still have control over certain regions of the arctic. Therefore, while I hear many people saying that the solution to this problem is voting for Joe Biden, the first hurdle here is ensuring the bidding does not begin in the first place! Not to even mention the presidential election because this is not a blog to tell you who to vote for or who I’m voting for (although, it may be obvious) but what I will say is, if you are a citizen of the United States, please just vote!!! 

So how can we stop this bidding? There are several companies, Alaskan Native communities, and environmental organizations fighting this but they need support! They need more people getting in touch with local and national government officials to express concern about this destruction, more financial support, and overall more awareness and education circulating about the topic. At the very least, share this article with your friends, family, or Facebook connections! The more motivated, action-orientated people we get fighting this, the better chance we have. 

Because as much as I hate to not look on the bright side of life, if this drilling and fracking begins, it’s going to be a moment that we will look back on as quite possibly the straw that broke the camel’s back. This will likely propel climate change further and faster than anything we’ve witnessed to date.