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My country, the United States, continues to allow hydraulic fracturing to be used as a method of natural gas collection. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking" injects chemicals into the earth in order to crack layers of shale and release natural gas. The chemicals can very well go into the groundwater and severely affect water quality in residential homes of the area, but especially in wells and other sources of water which are more directly connected to the earth. This effect is not just limited to water supply. The chemicals can stay in the earth for many years, damaging the environment. The chemical-water can also harm ecosystems like forests, which rely on these natural water sources to grow and thrive.
There is a lot of controversy and debate about the topic, meaning that many people do understand how damaging hydraulic fracturing can be to the environment. However, the government has made no attempt to rectify this outrageous attack on the environment. People claim that fracking is safe and the only way we can inexpensively get gases; however, this method has many risks, and is not sustainable. Dangerous fracking wells are littered across the country, and over time, they will take all of the natural gases from the earth.
Some companies benefit from fracking. Others do not because of the rising amount of gas and energy resources (meaning that their prices need to go down). Consumers also experience some benefits because oil prices may decrease. The people in the neighborhoods where fracking occurs, however, are heavily disadvantaged and may even fear for their health.
This issue is very intertwined with the colonization of land. As the human population exponentially increases, the amount of natural gas consumed rises as well. This growth has caused energy suppliers to turn to less-than-safe methods of gas collection to supply for the population. However, if people are to use less natural gases in their daily lives, even through making small changes, they might be able to convince these companies to stop destroying the environment.
