Fracking has a reputation for being bad for the environment, but it has played a vital role in lowering emissions.
In this day and age, you can’t watch a documentary or read an article about fracking without hearing about how bad it is for the environment. Although there are many areas where improvements could be made, fracking is not exactly the big bad wolf that it is painted to be. In fact, because of fracking, the United States was able to drop its carbon dioxide emissions levels to their lowest in 20 years back in 2012!
Why solar panels and wind turbines aren’t responsible for the drop in emissions.
Many environmentalists will point to the increased use of wind turbines and solar panels for this drop in emissions, but the numbers simply don’t add up. While these alternative forms of energy have certainly helped, the switch to natural gas has helped exponentially more. Many of the energy sources we’ve relied on for years can now be replaced with natural gas, including oil and coal. Before the surge in fracking, as well as the natural gas it has provided, around half of the electricity in the United States was generated by coal, but it has plummeted in recent years to just 32 percent.
Fracking has played a key role in the effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, but that doesn’t mean that all environmental concerns are invalid. At Well Water Solutions, we work to make fracking safer and more environmentally friendly with our above ground water storage tanks and water treatment services. Contact us today to learn more.
