The Threat Of Environmental Harm - 1255 Words

The doubt surrounding possible threats to environment has often been used as a reason to avoid taking action to protect the environment. However, it is not always possible to have clear evidence of a threat to the environment before the damage happens. The Precautionary Principle has been widely incorporated, in various forms, in international environmental agreements and declarations and further developed in a number of national laws. An element common to the various formulations of the Precautionary Principle is the recognition that lack of certainty regarding the threat of environmental harm should not be used as an excuse for not taking action to avert that threat. The Precautionary Principle recognizes that delaying action until there†¦show more content†¦The term Precautionary Principle has been used throughout these guidelines for consistency. Finally, it must be borne in mind that the precautionary principle is generally only relevant where specific elements are pr esent. These specific elements are uncertainty, threat of environmental damage, and where the threatened harm is of a serious or irreversible nature. Fracking is shorthand for hydraulic fracturing, a type of drilling that has been used commercially for 65 years. Today, the combination of advanced hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, employing cutting-edge technologies, is mostly responsible for surging U.S. oil and natural gas production. Hydraulic fracturing involves safely tapping shale and other tight-rock formations by drilling a mile or more below the surface before gradually turning horizontal and continuing several thousand feet more. Thus, a single surface site can accommodate a number of wells. Once the well is drilled, cased and cemented, small perforations are made in the horizontal portion of the well pipe, through which a typical mixture of water , sand and additives is pumped at high pressure to create micro-fractures in the rock that are held open by the grains of sand. Additives play a number of roles, including helping to reduce friction (thereby reducing the amount of pumping pressure from diesel-powered sources, which reduces air emissions) and prevent pipe corrosion, which in turn help protectShow MoreRelatedEco Terrorism and Violence in The United States1656 Words   |  7 Pages Eco terrorism has been said by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be the most significant domestic terror threat facing the United States today (Environmental). This assumption could not be any more true. 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