The Amazon
The Amazon rainforest is a large tropical rainforest in South America that covers an area of 2,000,000 square feet. The rainforest is characterized by its high rainfall, high vegetation, high humidity, and high temperatures.
The Amazon is a huge biological reservoir, containing millions of species of insects, plants, animals, and other forms of life. Overall, it is one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. In addition to housing many species of life, the Amazon plays an important role in photosynthesis, the water cycle, and on the communities around it.
What’s Going On?
The Amazon has become the target and location of oil drilling. These activities have affected the environment, wildlife, and surrounding communities.
Deforestation
A significant amount of vegetation and flora has been removed from the Amazon to make room for oil drilling activities. The forest is replaced by pipelines, access roads, and drilling operations. The following are some consequences of deforestation:
- Increased contribution to climate change: There are less trees to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The process and machinery used to remove trees and vegetation burn fossil fuels, contributing to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
- Loss of Habitat: The trees and vegetation in the rainforest are home to other plants and animals. The loss of habitat displaces species and, in extreme cases, leads to endangerment and extinction.
Pollution
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AmazonWatch.Org The machinery and operations used for oil drilling use fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gases.
- Furthermore, these operations can produce oil spills and toxic waste. These harmful chemicals can contaminate the surrounding area in rivers, soil, and air.
- This can cause health problems and even death to animals or humans who use these resources to survive.
- Oil can cause immediate harm to fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
- Oil can coat the fur, feathers, and scales of animals, impeding their ability to move, breathe, and regulate body temperature.
People
Many indigenous communities surrounding the Amazon depend on its resources to survive. However, oil companies often disregard or overlooked these communities and their rights, traditions, and practices. As oil companies use the Amazon to drill oil, indigenous people lose their home and land, may become displaced, and may be forced to assimilate.
The presence of oil companies can lead to further conflicts. These large corporations, government officials, and security forces can create a tense atmosphere. A tense atmosphere paired with a lack of regulation or accountability can lead to violence and human rights abuses.
In conclusion,
oil drilling in the Amazon has far-reaching consequences. Therefore, the need for oil drilling activities should be reconsidered. Society should instead work on finding sustainable alternatives to meet energy needs.
I’ve heard about so many horrible things happening in the Amazon. We, as a society, are aware of how much problems we’ve already cause our world and the climate crisis we’re currently experiencing, which is why it is difficult to comprehend that we still take part in things such as oil drilling, releasing fossil fuels whilst killing plants that are the main reason for why we are alive.