Question

Sample Argumentative Text #2: Offshore Drilling Makes Environmental Sense “Not in my backyard.” This is how many people feel about offshore drilling—the practice of extracting oil and natural gas that is found underwater beneath the ground (or offshore). The energy from these resources powers our daily lives in many ways, but many would rather preserve the U.S. coastal shores at all costs and continue to import oil from other nations to meet our energy needs. The argument many environmentalists put forward is that offshore drilling will increase the rate of global warming (the gradual increase of Earth’s temperature) and that any accidental oil spills will cause destruction to marine ecosystems—the plants, animals, and other living creatures that need clean, oil-free water to survive. In fact, the rate of global warming may be lessened if the United States (and any country that has the option) decides to invest in offshore drilling and reduce the amount of imported oil. Before ruling out offshore drilling, we must determine if the benefits of producing oil locally outweigh the potential risks. One worry that many have about offshore drilling is the possibility of an oil spill that would release many tons of crude oil into the water. The truth is that oil spills are relatively rare. According to political and environmental scientist Eric Smith, “From 1971 to 2000, offshore facilities and pipelines were responsible for only 2 percent of the oil in U.S. waters.” He goes on to say that the largest source of oil in the waters comes from “natural seepage,” which means that crude oil leaks into the water through cracks in the Earth’s surface where it is naturally occurring underneath the ocean floor. It might also come as a surprise that the second-largest source of oil in the water worldwide comes from oil tankers and barges—the vehicles that transport oil from one location to another. This means an accidental oil spill is more likely to happen when oil is imported than at an offshore drilling site. can you give me a claim

Answer 1

Offshore drilling has both potential environmental risks and benefits; it can reduce oil importation and its associated environmental hazards while providing energy self-sufficiency, despite the possibility of oil spills which historically are rare and severe incidents.

Step-by-step explanation:

An argumentative claim regarding offshore drilling could be that despite the environmental risks highlighted by incidents like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the practice of extracting oil from offshore wells offers certain benefits, such as reducing dependence on foreign oil and potentially contributing to a decrease in global warming by lessening oil imports.

It is argued that offshore drilling accidents, while severe, are relatively rare and that much of the oil pollution actually comes from natural seepage and transportation accidents rather than the drilling process itself. Furthermore, efficient energy production is essential, and the balance between environmental protection and energy self-sufficiency must be weighed carefully.