Here are the consequences of oil excavation on ecosystem

1. Pollution impacts communities

Air pollution from fossil fuels is known as the “invisible killer.” It can lead to
respiratory, cardiovascular and other diseases and is responsible for more than 13
percent of deaths in people aged 14 and older in the United States. Fossil fuel
development can also leak toxic substances into the soil and drinking water sources,
causing cancer, birth defects and liver damage.
The health threats from oil and gas production are very real and it’s crucial to reduce
fossil fuel development—especially on public lands that should be contributing to our
health and well-being.

2. Dangerous emissions fuel climate change

Forest Fire. Longer wildfire seasons are a consequence of the planet’s rising
temperatures. These extreme weather events are directly linked to fossil fuels that
release heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

3. Oil and gas development can ruin wildlands

Infrastructure built for oil and gas extraction can leave behind radical impacts on
wildlands. The construction of roads, facilities and drilling sites requires the use of
heavy equipment and can destroy big chunks of pristine wilderness. The damage is
often irreversible

4. Fossil fuel extraction turns visitors away.

Hunters, anglers, hikers, birders and vacationing families go into the wilderness to
experience nature in all its beauty. Oil tanks, power poles, noisy compressors and
busy roads are not what they expect to see. Too much noise, air pollution or damaged
landscapes can ruin anyone’s getaway.
The unsightly effects of oil and gas can ultimately hurt local communities that depend
on tourism for a living. Outdoor recreation is a big driver of local and national
economies.
If polluters continue to call the shots on public lands, they’ll usher in a new era of
unchecked energy development on wildlands that deserve preservation.

5. Drilling disrupts wildlife habitat.

Oil and gas extraction is a menace to wildlife. Loud noises, human movement and
vehicle traffic from drilling operations can disrupt animals’ communication, breeding
and nesting. Powerlines, wellpads, fences, and roads can also fragment habitats for
many species.

The pronghorn antelope and mule deer in Wyoming are among the species most
impacted. In the winter, some pronghorn travel south from the Grand Teton National
Park to the Upper Green River Valley to escape heavy snow. Their journey is one of
the longest big game migrations in the country.

But recently, animals making this age-old trek have faced a series of obstacles,
notably, intense activity in major natural gas fields. The pronghorn have to navigate
past enormous well pads and noisy compressor stations to find what forage hasn’t
been bulldozed. Future energy development farther south could ultimately have major
impacts on the abundance of this herd.

6. Oil spills can be deadly to animal.

Big oil spills are big killers of wildlife and can cause long-lasting damage to marine
ecosystems. Just think of BP’s Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The
2010 incident spread oil across 68,000 square miles of sea surface and killed
approximately 1 million seabirds, 5,000 marine mammals and 1,000 sea turtles.
Smaller spills during oil and gas extraction don’t always make headlines but can also
be dangerous. Drilling fluids injected into wells for lubrication—known as "mud"—
are supposed to be captured in lined pits for disposal. However, they often leak and
are splashed around drilling sites.
Big and small oil spills are common in top producing states. A recent report by the
Center for Western Priorities found that 2,179 spills were reported in Colorado, New
Mexico and Wyoming in the year 2020. These incidents can have devastating effects
on local wildlife through direct contact, inhalation and ingestion of toxic chemicals.

● Oil can kill surface-dwelling animals and birds by poisoning or suffocation, as

well as affecting buoyancy and natural waterproofing.
● Contaminated food supplies mean animals may become malnourished or
poisoned over time.
● Research on previous oil spills shows that toxic chemicals remain in the ocean for
years, often sinking down to the seafloor and poisoning the sediment.

● Oil explorationation involves surveying, clearing of seismic lines, and massive

dynamiting for geological excavations.
● The explosion of dynamite in aquatic environments leads to narcotic effects and
mortality of fish and other faunal organisms (Zabbey, 2004). Destabilization of
sedimentary materials associated with dynamite shooting causes increases in turbidity,
blockage of filter feeding apparatuses in benthic (bottomdwelling) fauna, and
reduction of plant photosynthetic activity due to reduced light penetration.
● The burying of oil and gas pipelines in the Delta fragments rich ecosystems such
as rainforests and mangroves. Apart from the reduction in habitat area, clearing of
pipeline track segregates natural populations, which may in turn distort breeding
behaviour.
● Oil spillages routinely occurs where excavation is taking place.Sources of oil
entering the environment are variable, including pipeline leakage and rupturing,
accidental discharges (e.g. tank accidents), discharges from refineries and urban
centres, etc. There are also biogenic sources of hydrocarbons in the environment.