BBC Editors. “What Is Fracking and Why Is It Controversial?” BBC News, BBC, 26 Oct. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401. 

Fracking is one of the most widely used methods of extracting natural gas — a natural gas commonly used for heating and generating electricity. Fracking is the method in which a highly pressurized mixture of water and chemicals is injected into underground rocks to break them apart. The natural gas released from these rocks is collected and redistributed for human use. Though fracking is an effective way to harvest natural gas, it has many environmental concerns. One of the biggest concerns is its ability to contaminate large bodies of water. When the chemicals used in the process of fracking are released into the waterways, they become polluted and serve as major health risks for humans and wildlife. It can also release methane into the atmosphere which is a highly concentrated greenhouse gas. 

 

While there are major health effects of removing natural gas through this method, I do think that it is the most effective. Though there are many health hazards to fracking, it still remains one of the safest ways to remove natural gas. The best way to prevent the consequences of fracking is to target the source. If we reduce the amount of natural gas we consume, there will be less of a demand to harvest it, therefore we can avoid the amount of fracking that takes place. We can do this through simple lifestyle changes such as taking cooler showers or turning the heat off when we leave our house. Overall, I think fracking should continue however, we need to be considerate about how it affects people and companies should be responsible for paying the external costs.