Effects of Fracking on Global Warming
Fracking is an extraction process that is used in the extraction of gas and oil. It requires extreme levels of energy for the extraction operation to take place. The amount of energy necessary to push the gas and oil from the ground is always very high. Before fracking was introduced as an extraction method, gas and oil were extracted through conventional gas. Conventional gas refers to a process of drilling through rocks that had oil and gas trapped within them. Due to overexploitation of the conventional reservoirs, Fracking acts as the primary extraction method.
Extreme levels of energy are used and released during the fracking process. The high levels of energy affect climatic conditions negatively. The method that was used in extracting oil and gas had lesser effects on the atmosphere and climatic changes since less energy was being used. It only involved the drilling of the rocks and the use of natural pressure from the surface to push up the required gas and oil. The use of fracking as an extraction method may lead to leaking of some of the harmful gases like methane into the atmosphere, which, as a result, causes global warming.
The use of fracking as an extraction method has led to over exploitation of the conventional reservoirs. Companies that deal with the extraction of gas and oil are forced to use other forms, such as unconventional gas and tight sand drilling. They have also resulted in going to areas with extreme conditions such as the arctic and the Antarctic regions. The fluids and chemicals used in the process of extraction have also increased in volumes. The amounts of flow backs during the conventional method were 50 to 100 times lesser than during the fracking process.
Before fracking was introduced as an extraction method, conventional gas was the primary method used in extraction. The rocks above the target zone used to block the fluids from passing through. The fracking method enables the fluids to pass through and help in the extraction of oil and gas. This gas, methane, leaks through old bores or even openings in the rocks. These openings risk leaking large amounts of harmful gases into the atmosphere and affect the climatic conditions. These fissures act as channels that allow the gas to leak into the atmosphere quickly, thus causing global warming. Methane is a greenhouse gas and should not be released into the atmosphere in higher volumes.
Studies that have been conducted show that fracking does not cause global warming contrary to the expectations. Researches that were carried out have shown that the amount of harmful gases released into the environment as a result of fracking is not extreme and can not affect the climatic conditions. The volumes of methane emitted from the fracking process are lower than the limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The overall results show that the amount of methane released from the fracking process was 10 percent lower than the limit set. Therefore, it can not cause any harm to the atmosphere or cause global warming.
The companies that deal with the extraction of gas and oil received the information as good news. The results showed that they could carry out the fracking process without the risk of causing harmful effects on the atmosphere. Fracking enables these companies to extract oil and gas from the deepest target zones easily. Companies can explore conventional reservoirs and extract gas and oil trapped beneath the rocks. The research discovered that the fracking methods prevent the gas from leaking into the atmosphere by 99 percent, thus proving that it has fewer effects in the atmosphere.
The study which was conducted by different organizations and institutions proves that fracking as an extraction process has fewer effects on the atmosphere. The types of equipment used in the fracking process allow a certain volume of methane gas into the atmosphere. The valves enable methane gas that is 30 percent higher than the limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The study also states that the amount of methane gas emitted into the atmosphere is 10 percent lower than the limit. It is therefore not able to cause harmful effects to the atmosphere or cause global warming.
Although the studies have proven that the volume of methane released as a result of fracking is less effective to the atmosphere, the gas acts as a threat to the climatic conditions. The fissures left, after extraction of gas and oil, act as a channel for the leakage of the gas into the atmosphere. There have been cases where the methane gas has made it up into the atmosphere through the openings that were left after the extraction process. Over time, these gases leak into the atmosphere in volumes that can affect the atmosphere and cause global warming. The studies have also proven that the equipments used in the freaking process are not fully reliable since they allow a certain volume of methane gas to leak into the atmosphere thus causing global warming.