Why We Shouldn't Drill in ANWR

Have you ever wondered, if America was running out of oil? The answer is no; America has a large amount of oil located in Alaska, in a place called ANWR, which stands for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Some people say that drilling is what we need to do. I think that there are much better reasons to not drill in the arctic. It is definite that this will improve the environment of the entire world, not just America.

Drilling in the ANWR will hurt all of the ecosystems that it encompasses through Alaska. It is a large 1.5 million acre land, which is 4 time the size of massachusetts. "More than 200 species make the refuge home including: Caribou wolves, Arctic fox, 36 species of fish and millions of birds." -NG If we were to drill there than millions of animals would have little places left to go, which would cause them to die off, which will have horrible effects on the ecosystem of alaska as a whole.

The ANWR is one of the few places on earth that remain untouched by humans. If we start drilling in the ANWR then we are ruining the landscape of a place, which might be able to lead us into the past of our speicies and the planet. "It remains much the same as it was about 10,000 years ago" Bob Reiss wrote in an article covering the topic. It would also destroy the oceans, which also hold many secrets to humanity.

Some people say that Alaska needs the money to survive because that is where most of their income comes from. It is true that the oil industry provides jobs for about 1/3 of Alaska's total population, this would also be a good way to switch from oil to a renewable energy source. If Alaska stopped employing people into the oil industry they can work in places that use solar or water energy. It has already been proven that gas emissions have better effects on the environment than oil like in this article: https://news.energysage.com/health-environmental-benefits-of-solar-energy/ on Energy Sage.

I think that we should not drill in the ANWR because it will do no good for the environment and make Alaska create no new opportunities for the future. This will make the millions of animals that live in the arctic lose their habitats, which will in turn mess up other ecosystems. It will also make us lose the opportunity to see more into our past and destroy evidence that will help us find our past. Lastly it will also make Alaska not turn to renewable energy, which helps the environment. So that is why I think that we should stop the government from drilling for oil in Alaska and switch to renewable energy.