Environmental Impact of Oil and Gas

Introduction

The era of hydrocarbons has undoubtedly contributed positively to industrial development and the modern way of life. The use of energy is closely connected to human activities, from heating and preparing food to industry and agricultural production. Humanity depends on energy to such an extent that it is hard to imagine how individuals would survive without it. However, the costs of progress are currently higher than expected. That is because the environmental implications of the global production, transportation, and consumption of oil and gas are negative. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the adverse effects of gas and oil on the environment.

The Influence of Oil on The Environment

It is essential to emphasize that oil has a negative impact on the environment. Non-compliance with the legal norms contained in the environmental legislation leads to disruption of the ecosystem as a whole and its elements in particular (Aung 24). Environmental pollution occurs due to the extraction, transportation, processing, and disposal of oil and oil products. Moreover, pollution by oil and oil products is found throughout the soil layer, hydrosphere, and atmosphere (Aung 24). As a result of the deterioration of the ecological situation in the contaminated area, significant damage to both flora and fauna can be observed.

The reason for such large-scale adverse effects of oil on the environment lies in its chemical composition. The oil contains several thousand liquid hydrocarbons, and their percentage content reaches 80-90% (Santos et al. 692). In addition, oil includes other organic compounds, such as resins, mercaptans, naphthenic acids, asphaltenes, and other substances. Furthermore, the oil contains about 10% of water and up to 4% of gases and, in small quantities, mineral salts and trace elements. Thus, about 48% of hydrocarbons and 44% of carbon monoxide are formed during the extraction and processing of oil (Santos et al. 693). These substances have a harmful effect on the environment, as they are a contaminant.

Furthermore, when the soil is polluted with oil products, a number of its features and properties change. First of all, physical properties that influence the morphological characteristics of soils are changed, and the inflow of water and, accordingly, various nutrients necessary for the life activity of soil organisms are impeded. Similarly, disturbance of the vegetation cover influences other elements of the ecosystem (Mariano and Emilio 60). One of the most dangerous types of pollution is the pollution of the hydrosphere since water is the source of life for vegetation and habitat for many animals. In addition, by spreading on the water’s surface, oil pollutes large areas of water reservoirs.

Oil products’ influence on living organisms manifests in disturbances of physiological activity, diseases caused by the introduction of hydrocarbons into the body, and changes in the biological features of the habitat. Additionally, some of the fractions contained in the oil are toxic, forming toxic emulsions that cause asphyxiation in living organisms. Moreover, oil products entering the aquatic environment can be degraded by microorganisms, although this process is relatively slow (Mariano and Emilio 65). Oil products can accumulate at the bottom of water bodies, which leads to secondary contamination of the environment.

Environmental Impact of Gas

In environmental terms, natural gas is the cleanest type of mineral fuel. Its combustion produces significantly fewer harmful substances compared to other kinds of oil (Paolini 899). However, the burning by humanity of enormous quantities of various energies, including natural gas, over the past half-century has led to a marked increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Paolini 900). Most scientists consider this to cause the currently observed climate warming. This is because methane is a greenhouse gas and can contribute to global warming if it escapes from gas transportation systems.

Moreover, the most adverse impact on the environment is conducted within the territories of gas and oil fields, the nearest settlements, and along the trunk pipelines. It is significant to note that such components of natural complexes as vegetation, soil, microrelief, and upper horizons of rocks underlying the ground are directly affected (Vyas et al. 152802). As a result of the close interaction between the components of the natural environment, the hydrogeological regime, snow cover, and heat and mass transfer in the surface layer of the atmosphere are subject to direct impact. Furthermore, oil and gas production changes the geological environment’s deep horizons, which can lead to irreversible deformations of the earth’s surface. One of the problems of the gas industry is that combustion products are not filtered at plants (Vyas et al. 152802). As a consequence of such non-compliance with environmental norms, the ecological situation is deteriorating. The ineffective exploitation of gas affects the condition of all ecosystems and affects the body, including the human body

Conclusion

Hence, the key potential adverse effects are emissions of pollutants into the air and groundwater contamination by uncontrolled gas and liquid flows. This is caused by their emissions or spills, leakage of drilling fluids, and uncontrolled wastewater discharge. As a result, it is significant to highlight that the consumption of oil and natural gas negatively influences the environment and the health of all living organisms. Moreover, the extraction of these resources also leads to the deformation of the earth’s surface.

Works Cited

Aung, Thiri Shwesin. “Evaluation of The Environmental Impact Assessment System and Implementation in Myanmar: Its Significance in Oil and Gas Industry.” Environmental Impact Assessment Review, vol. 66, 2017, pp. 24-32. Web.

Mariano, Jacqueline, and Emilio La Rovere. Environmental Impacts of The Oil Industry. Lambert Academic Publishing, 2017.

Paolini, Valerio, et al. “Environmental Impact of Biogas: A Short Review of Current Knowledge.” Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, vol. 53, no. 10, 2018, pp. 899-906. Web.

Santos, Inês, et al. “A Review of Analytical Methods for Characterizing the Potential Environmental Impacts of Unconventional Oil and Gas Development.” Analytical Chemistry, vol. 91, no.1, 2018, pp. 689-703. Web.

Vyas, Shaili, et al. “Municipal Solid Waste Management: Dynamics, Risk Assessment, Ecological Influence, Advancements, Constraints and Perspectives.” Science of The Total Environment, vol. 814, 2022, p. 152802. Web.