The Impacts of Drilling for Petroleum on the Environment

The impacts of drilling for petroleum on the environment can be both good and bad. When companies drill for oil, whether on land or underwater, it damages the environment in some way. On land, the damage is caused by large machinery used for digging or bulldozing the earth, or taking down trees. Acres of trees were cut down around my house to make way for pipelines, and valuable farmland was destroyed. Actual oil spills cause problems, but are more easily contained on land, but in water, can be devestating. Oil in the water coats beaches, makes it dangerous to swim and kills birds, seals, fish and whales. But oil does have it's advantages. Researcher James S. Robbins has argued that the development of kerosene oil has saved some species of whales from extinction, because people could burn kerosene instead of whale blubber.