Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Thinking of the Frontier

By Keith Heyde

Energy comes has to come from somewhere. That is the irrefutable truth. Whether it is nuclear, solar, coal, or oil, the energy we need to run our infrastructure comes from a source. Some sources, are obviously more accessible or bountiful than others, but they often come at a price. For example, solar energy is now relatively cheap and abundant, however it cannot be stored in an easy and viable way. On the other hand, oil is becoming an increasingly expensive and difficult to attain commodity, yet it provides some serious advantages when it comes to storage and transportation.

It has become increasingly true, that when we analyze the total energy offset associated with energy sources, the decision on what is ‘green’ is not always as easy as it initially seems. For example, I have talked many times about the virtue of appropriate energy selection. For instance, solar for homes makes sense but solar for cars do not. Same with nuclear, etc. With this in mind, many times the associated infrastructure cost with forcing an inappropriate energy solution offsets any of the initial ‘green’ factors. For example, batteries require an immense amount of resources to make and manufacture. Does this offset the use of ‘cleaner’ electricity? Certainly not within any short period of time. And with many items lifetimes decreasing as society moves faster and faster to a disposable commercialized world, does it make sense to opt for electric vehicles in an oil infrastructure?

Now, don’t get me wrong. When it comes to energy I understand that I am a ‘mixed bag’. On the one hand I truly do see the purpose and value of leading a sustainable lifestyle and drawing power from renewable sources. Hell, I have a solar water heater as well as a vegetable garden that I try and eat from every day. However, when it comes to energy on a macro-scale, it is hard to beat hydrocarbons. They are SO easy to store and transport that it is almost silly to even consider another viable energy storage mechanism.

Yet, when it comes to the environment, my thoughts are a bit deeper. I am an ardent conservationist and my personal heroes include Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir. I grew up in the woods and feel uncomfortable anywhere else. I truly see that value and purpose of a frontier and an unconquered. There should be land unclaimed, there should be feats undone. Without that, there is nothing to aspire for, to dream to.

So, when I came across an article in Forbes Magazine entitled Why Environmentalists Should Support Oil Exploration In Alaska’s Artic Waters, I was confused and a bit perplexed. Of course I realize the tradeoff between pursuing easily extracted oil, but I also see the values in keeping some land unclaimed, untapped, and unconquered. How can we rectify this issue effectively?

The article is essentially a synopsis of a book writted by Christopher Helman entitled The Eskimo and The Oil Man. Of course, at first it reminded me of Steven Segall’s seminal work On Deadly Ground (Which if you haven’t seen it you should… if only for the laughs). Yet, after glancing through it, the author Bob Reiss presents many studies and concepts that actually endorse the implimentation of oil drilling in the Northern Slope.  Projections seem to indicate that oil off of the North Slope could be as large as 3 times the amount within the Gulf of Mexico. Yet with the BP oil spill fresh on our minds and, for many people, hearts, can we really justify drilling in yet another ecologically rich system?

Now, I was trained as an Environmental Engineer, and I thought about this a lot. What can we do to tap into such useful and beneficial resources? How much stands to be gained? And at what risk?

I don’t know all of the answers, but the point I arrived at is the following: before we go drilling and ruining the last frontier we have available to us, perhaps we should learn more about the amazingly and beautifully complex system that is the ocean. Only after analyzing the oceanographic beauty that lies beneath us will we be able to truly understand the majesty and might that stands to be lost. Yet, not all of the research needs to be with a negative angle. By learning more about the ocean, we will understand how to better protect it if… no forget that… when another accident occurs. The buffoons behind the BP disaster barely comprehended the magnitude of their blundering mistake. Hopefully, before we go drilling away around the globe, our consequences will be understood, for better or worse. 

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