What could happen to the Earth if we were to stop drilling for oil?

I heard drilling is actually good for the Earth itself.What could happen to the Earth if we were to stop drilling for oil?
Drilling for oil has no real effect on the earth. Burning oil is probably not a good thing for the world's climate, but that is another topic.





Few people realize that more oil has been spilled on the surface of the planet over geologic history than man has ever pumped from underground reservoirs. Natural oil seeps are a part of the planetary carbon cycle and are as natural as the water cycle and rain. In some instances, drilling for oil and producing it actually reduces the amount of oil that seeps to the surface through natural seeps and results in a cleaner environment, because there are no seeps of methane or oil and tar to pollute the area.





As an example of how common natural oil seeps are, just in the area of Santa Barbara Channel offshore California there are estimated to be more than 20,000 tonnes of oil per year leaking into the ocean from natural oil seeps. That's about 151,600 barrels of oil, or 6,367,000 gallons of oil. See: http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record鈥?/a>


The seeps were actually used by native Americans as a source of waterproofing for their boats.





That figure does not include the amount of natural gas that seeps from these same natural seeps. Many other areas of the world have seeps on the scale of California, including some I have seen such as Albania, and Khazakstan. Alaska's North Slope also has large oil seeps.





In many cases, and it has been documented in California, drilling for oil has actually reduced the leakage of these seeps contributing to cleaner beaches and fewer adverse effects on wildlife. Here is a report from the University of California Santa Barbara:


http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?p鈥?/a>





To see some oil seeps check these links:


http://seeps.wr.usgs.gov/seeps/what.html


http://www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/enviro/se鈥?/a>


http://www.consrv.ca.gov/DOG/kids_teache鈥?/a>


http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2001/05/





What few people stop to realize is that oil accumulates in sedimentary rocks, and as plate tectonics move those rocks, building mountains, and other features, the oil is often released to the surface as a natural event. This has been taking place for many millions of years, and most oil within the earth has probably been released naturally, and not recovered by drilling. Evidence of catastrophic oil releases caused by fault movement is found in places like the thrust belts of Albania, where cliffs of limestone are covered with the remnant tar stains left behind by oil leaking to the surface. While this probably took place a few million years ago, on a geologic time scale it is probably a common event. The oil from that reservoir has been chemically and biologically broken down and returned to the atmosphere as part of the natural carbon cycle.





Exploitation of oil reserves, and drilling, has significantly altered the rate of this carbon input into the atmosphere, but may not be the first time that such an accelerated release of carbon into the atmosphere has taken place in geologic history. These sort of geologic events are very difficult to locate or quantify, but we do know that there have been periods of significantly higher atmospheric carbon dioxide levels than at present. For example, as recently as 650,000 years ago, carbon dioxide levels on Earth were higher than today. See: http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1124-clima鈥?/a>





Overall drilling has very little effect on the planet. When oil reserves are pumped to the surface they are normally replaced by water from within the rock, so there is little likelihood of subsidence of the surface. The effect on the carbon cycle is not even significant, as most of the carbon on the planet is not in oil or natural gas, but is in carbonate rocks such as limestone (CaCO3). The effect of carbon input into our atmosphere is another topic, and is most likely causing global climate change due to the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide gas.





However, oil, natural gas, and bitumen is used for many other products besides fuel, such as pharmaceuticals, plastics, shampoo, household detergent, rubber, fertilizers, roofing material, road surfaces, paint, pipe, electrical insulation, and countless more things. I would challenge anyone who wants to do without it to try: the first thing you will have to give up is your computer as most of the material in your computer is made from oil, including the circuit boards.What could happen to the Earth if we were to stop drilling for oil?
ok, it's right that using oil is bad for the environment, but without it how would u live? no electricity, no cars or any other transport ways... etc.
If we stopped drilling for oil then we wouldn't burn any more oil so there wouldn't be any more greenhouse gasses going into the atmsphere and causing global warming. Also there wouldn't be any more oil spills.





In short, drilling for oil is bad for the earth
Drilling good for earth? Who says that?


By the way, if we stop drilling for oil, we might saved the environment.
LOL, where did you hear drilling was good for the Earth? Fox news? President Bush? I think the Earth would be just fine, in fact possibly better if we stopped drilling.