You’ve probably heard of fracking before. For those of you who have not heard of it, let me provide a brief overview. Fracking is another name for hydraulic fracturing, which is a drilling technique used to extract oil or natural gas from deep underground. Right now, fracking is a hotly debated topic both environmentally and politically. Some people say it’s fine, safe and economically sustainable. Others disagree, claiming it leads to contaminated drinking water, air pollution and heightened conditions for global warming.
Dear readers, it is high time we stop caring as deeply about our wallets as we do about our planet. I am not going to try to argue money isn’t important. I am a firm believer that a strong economy is vital to a country’s success, and economic sustainability should be considered when discovering the best method to obtain resources. However, I do not believe economic sustainability should be the most important factor in the decision.
Fracking has been described as a safe and clean way to obtain power sources. This sounds fine, but we can speak in generic terms all we want without actually citing real effects. If we take a look at the facts, we see that “safe” and “clean” are just about the last words that would accurately describe the effects of fracking.
First, a well is drilled into the ground. Then, fluid is pumped into the well to fracture the rock. This fluid is mostly water, but it can contain many additives and chemicals that serve a purpose but can have harmful effects on the water. Malfunctions of this system have led to thousands of gallons of contaminated water to be spewed. A specific instance in Pennsylvania resulted in this happening for more than 12 hours.
In addition, drinking water can become contaminated. Legal settlements and nondisclosure agreements prevent against incidents being publicized, but there have been several publicized incidents from Pennsylvania and New York. The air can also become contaminated. Contaminants found have been linked to birth defects, neurological problems, cancer and blood disorders. Seismic activity has been linked to fracking as well. Oklahoma’s strongest recorded earthquake is believed to have been caused by fracking, along with 180 tremors and nine earthquakes in Texas.
Fracking is not as perfect a solution to our energy problem as many may think, and if we continue to approve it, other more sustainable solutions may be overlooked. We may stop researching or putting as much effort into finding another way. Especially with a huge drop in gas prices, people are in no hurry to fix a problem they may not even realize exists. Are you nostalgic for the time when gas was $4 per gallon? Yeah, I don’t think anyone is. But we have to realize that maybe this isn’t the most important issue at stake here. I know this isn’t an issue that affects many of your daily lives, but in order to combat the huge environmental issues that plague us, we have to look beyond our little bubbles.
We live in a time when, despite overwhelming evidence, people continue to deny climate change. Educate yourself. Learn the facts. Understand what you vote for and what your representatives are doing. Fracking is not our only problem, but it’s a big one. If we want our planet to be around for our children and our children’s children, we can’t just sit around and assume the higher-ups know what they’re doing. Get involved. Write to your representatives. Money is important, but so is our home. We can fix an economy, but we only have one planet. Save it.
Taylor Cavaliere is a UF psychology and journalism sophomore. Her column appears on Mondays.
