Human impact: extraction of energy resources

Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are energy sources that formed over thousands to millions of years as a result of compression and decomposition of plant and animal material. Considered to be a nonrenewable resource.

METHODS FOR OBTAINING ENERGY RESOURCES Harvesting (peat and wood) Mining (coal and uranium) Drilling (oil and natural gas) Peat- brown, soil-like material characteristic of boggy, acid ground with decomposed vegetable matter Uranium- gray, dense radioactive metal used as a fuel in nuclear reactors Natural Gas- flammable gas, consisting largely of methane, occurring naturally underground and used as fuel

Resources, such as peat and wood, can be restored over time HARVESTING Least intrusive method of obtaining energy, less disturbance of the lithosphere Resources, such as peat and wood, can be restored over time Peat

Mining Mining is the process of removing metals and minerals from the lithosphere, often times at great depths beneath the surface. Much more intrusive and destructive than harvesting. EX: coal

Environmental Impacts of Mining (1) Deforestation destroys local habitats (2) Land and water pollution occurring during process of mining (3) Erosion rates increase at site of mining

Drilling Drilling is the process of removing fluid, typically crude oil or natural gas, that is beneath Earth’s surface Not as intrusive as mining, but not as environmentally friendly as harvesting

Environmental Impacts of Drilling Possible oil spills Infrastructure development for drilling fields infringes on local habitats Byproducts produced by drilling pollute land and water

Drilling Impacts on Environment

Fracking Fracking is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth Concerns about fracking include: (1) Groundwater contamination (2) Triggering earthquakes? (3) Dangerous explosions

Fracking in North Carolina North Carolina is believed to hold 1.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas trapped in shale gas formations underground and concentrated in Chatham, Lee and Moore counties. Supporters of fracking in the legislature said natural gas would produce a domestic fuel to help offset oil imported from hostile regimes as well as dirty coal mined by mountain-top removal. They also touted the creation of several hundred jobs over seven years. Critics talked of short-term jobs, destroyed roadways, marred landscapes, polluted air and contaminated water