Environmental Views of Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) Essays

Executive Summary The Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) is a beautiful 19.6 million acre coastal plain, and is located in the Northeastern part of Alaska. ANWR is home to numerous species of wildlife and one of the largest untapped oil preserves in the United States. There is an immense debate between the opposing environmentalists and the politicians who want to drill for oil on a section of ANWR, which is only 1.8% of the refuge. Environmentalists who oppose drilling for oil in Alaska say the wildlife and the native populations are threatened by drilling for oil in ANWR, even though most of the natives are strongly in favor of drilling. ANWR could save the US from having to import $800 billion worth of foreign oil, creating hundreds to thousands of American jobs, and generate hundreds of billions in royalties and taxes (anwr.com). Three different environmental ethic views will be addressed, Utilitarian, Deontology, and Lockean. The Utilitarian argument is that the greatest function of ANWR will be reached through drilling. It implies that the intrinsic qualities of the land are of lesser value, and that ANWR serves the people better by being given over to the purpose of oil production. Deontology views ANWR rationally. The question is asked: what would a rational person do when developers propose to convert an unspoiled landscape to commercial use? In the Lockean view, man has a right to use property and the various resources of the earth as he wills, to support his life and values. The development of ANWR overshadows the minimal risk of environmentally disrupting the wildlife. The US economy and the citizens of Alaska would benefit from the development, not to mention the wildlife would be monitored and thus receive more attention. Introduction Alaska is surrounded by ocean and mountainous terrain and has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the United States. Alaska is home to the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, in which hundreds of thousands of wildlife reside alongside with one of the largest oil preserves in the United States. Environmentalists are vexed about the possible disruption in the wildlife’s natural habitat and the effects it may have on the Alaskan Natives. Congress is being faced with the challenge of mergin... ...s.org/releases/pr2005/pr031105.html Rodger Schlickeisen. Fight to Protect the Arctic Refuge Reaches Critical Point Refuge Faces Most Dire Threat in Decades. Retrieved April 10, 2005 from http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/arctic/ardrill.html http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/arctic/news/arcticpoll.pdf Retrieved on April 9, 2005 http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_1741573203/1987_Alaska.html "Alaska," Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2005 http://encarta.msn.com  © 1997-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. http://www.globalethics.org/newsline/members/issue.tmpl?articleid=04210222393811 http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&q=define:Property+Rights N.A. Retrieved April 10, 2005 http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&St oryID=30570&Section=NIE http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4542853/ http://www.newsviews.info/environment05a.html http://www.savearcticrefuge.org/learnmore.html Retrieved on April 9, 2005 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11332-2004Sep10.html Stephen Segaller. PBS: Extreme Oil (2004). Retrieved April 10, 2005