Ominous Trend
I have this lingering suspicision that all is not well in the desert - particularly in the formula: experimental technology+energy+business. The other day, sitting quietly in a coffee shop of a local hotel, I overheard - ooops, not supposed to do that - hope you will forgive me, that Shell, the petro-chemical giant, will soon be setting up shop in Jordan, along with some other big boys in the petroleum industry.
As we all know, Jordan picked the short straw when it came to natural resources such as carbon fuels, ie that glutinous gunk proliferating in the Middle East that makes the world go round. However it does have shale oil, quite a substantial quantity. And herein lies the problem that keeps me awake at nights.
Shale oil needs a different process of extraction – you have to mine for it and the cost to the treasury and the environment is what has been keeping shale oil where it should remain, underground. Until that is, the Shell corporation came up with a new technique . They ingeniously devised a scheme to heat the shale oil 'in situ' until liquefaction occurs. And then they pump it out. Ok you might think, what's wrong with that? The problem is that they heat the shale to such a high temperature, it will take three years to liquefy. See the problem? And where do you think they are going to test this 'revolutionary' procedure – why in Jordan of course – right next door to our struggling Azraq Oasis – an environmentally important water source of underground aquifers not just for migratory birds but numerous communities of people dependant on agriculture for their livelihood.
Shell is going to 'bake the desert – underground and above it – for a whole three years'…. And I find out along the grapevine, other western countries such as America have declined to go along with the scheme due to questions over environmental and health risks.
For health risks … read …cancer. For environmental risks ... read... whatever you can imagine in the worst possible terms. It's common sense right? Our fragile eco-system doesn't stand a chance. Has anyone spared that a thought, as we stumble over ourselves in our narrow minded approach to energy needs?
As Europe makes important strides into alternative energy sources, not to mention Turkey and Israel (solar heating) - we follow the piper...
J
As we all know, Jordan picked the short straw when it came to natural resources such as carbon fuels, ie that glutinous gunk proliferating in the Middle East that makes the world go round. However it does have shale oil, quite a substantial quantity. And herein lies the problem that keeps me awake at nights.
Shale oil needs a different process of extraction – you have to mine for it and the cost to the treasury and the environment is what has been keeping shale oil where it should remain, underground. Until that is, the Shell corporation came up with a new technique . They ingeniously devised a scheme to heat the shale oil 'in situ' until liquefaction occurs. And then they pump it out. Ok you might think, what's wrong with that? The problem is that they heat the shale to such a high temperature, it will take three years to liquefy. See the problem? And where do you think they are going to test this 'revolutionary' procedure – why in Jordan of course – right next door to our struggling Azraq Oasis – an environmentally important water source of underground aquifers not just for migratory birds but numerous communities of people dependant on agriculture for their livelihood.
Shell is going to 'bake the desert – underground and above it – for a whole three years'…. And I find out along the grapevine, other western countries such as America have declined to go along with the scheme due to questions over environmental and health risks.
For health risks … read …cancer. For environmental risks ... read... whatever you can imagine in the worst possible terms. It's common sense right? Our fragile eco-system doesn't stand a chance. Has anyone spared that a thought, as we stumble over ourselves in our narrow minded approach to energy needs?
As Europe makes important strides into alternative energy sources, not to mention Turkey and Israel (solar heating) - we follow the piper...
J
posted by joladies at Sunday, April 30, 2006
3 Comments:
This is quite revealing and disturbing. It there something we can do to prevent endangering our environment?
What a shame. I hope it works out, but given Jordan's sad history of water problems I'd have let someplace else be the testing ground.
Especially Azrak, so little is left of it now from its ancient past. We act as though things w can't see or measure- aquifers, fisheries- are infinite, but they are not. There is only so much runoff water in Azrak, and once we start withdrawing at a greater rate than the replacement, it's only a matter of time until we suck it dry. Look at the Ded Sea.
ughhhhhh. we are sad :(
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