+
upworthy
Heroes

Need a reason to fight oil drilling near Alaska? We've got 5.

True
Natural Resources Defense Council

Big oil is on a big mission in the Arctic.

In July 2015, the Obama administration cleared the way for Royal Dutch Shell to begin drilling in the pristine Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast. Not. Good.

Although officials claim operations "must be held to the highest safety, environmental protection, and emergency response standards," not everyone's buying it. And for good reason.


Gorgeous, huh? This is Kotzebue Sound, which is part of the Chukchi Sea. Photo by Education Specialist/Flickr.

There are plenty of reasons why this is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea.

"Simply put, the Arctic may have oil, but the risks of drilling in the Arctic are too great," Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon wrote on July 30.

And in the Natural Resource Defense Council's magazine onEarth, Clara Chaisson laid out five reasons exactly why those risks outweigh any positives:

1. Oil spills: They're awful. There's a 75% chance a large one will happen with this new Shell project. A 75% chance.

2. The Arctic: a hellish place to clean up oil. Unpredictable, icy conditions and a lack of infrastructure up there means a spill would be difficult to take care of quickly.

3. Shell's track record in the Arctic: abysmal. From putting workers in unsafe conditions to contributing to illegal levels of pollution, Shell has whatever the exact opposite of a clean record is when it comes to operating in the Arctic.

4. The Chukchi Sea: filled with wildlife. Yeah, it's cold, but the region is home to many species that could be negatively impacted — including polar bears, who use the area as birthing grounds.

5. Climate change: This won't help fight it. This project will only further create an infrastructure that promotes carbon pollution for decades to come.

Here's where you come in. Because, believe it or not, you have something an oil company doesn't: a vote.

In a video produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), actor Robert Redford spelled out why we still have leverage over a corporation like Shell.

GIFs via NRDC.


You don't have to wait until election season. You can throw your support behind NRDC's efforts to keep the Chukchi Sea oil-free by signing this petition:

"Tell President Obama to act now to safeguard our natural heritage, our climate and our children's future by stopping Big Oil's invasion of the Arctic and put us on the path toward a clean energy future."

And then watch Robert Redford break down how we can stand up to big oil:

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

Keep ReadingShow less

An English doctor named Edward Jenner took incredible risks to try to rid his world of smallpox. Because of his efforts and the efforts of scientists like him, the only thing between deadly diseases like the ones below and extinction are people who refuse to vaccinate their kids. Don't be that parent.

Unfortunately, because of the misinformation from the anti-vaccination movement, some of these diseases have trended up in a really bad way over the past several years.

Keep ReadingShow less

A woman looking at her phone while sitting on the toilet.


One of the most popular health trends over the last few years has been staying as hydrated as possible, evidenced by the massive popularity of 40-oz Stanely Quencher cups. The theory among those who obsess over hydration is that, when you pee clear, you’ve removed all the waste in your body and are enjoying the incredible benefits of being 100% hydrated. Congratulations.

However, according to Dr. Sermed Mezher, an NHS doctor in the UK, peeing clear isn’t always a sign of being healthy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Innovation

A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going." ⚡️⚡️

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

Keep ReadingShow less
via PamTina_/Twitter

Pam's little brother is so sweet.

Pam has a little brother, who recently learned that he is actually her half-brother.

Of course, half-siblings are still very much siblings, but Pam's brother doesn't quite grasp the concept yet and seems upset about having to part with 50% of his sister.

Keep ReadingShow less

Jennifer Garner's Ziploc care package.

Homelessness has been on the increase in America since 2016 and the numbers exploded in 2020. On a single night in January 2020, there were more than 580,000 individuals who were without a home.

There are many reasons for the increase in homelessness and one of the leading causes is a lack of affordable housing across the country. Housing prices have been on a steady increase and, according to PBS, we are about 7 million units short of affordable housing in the country.

So what can the average person do about this human tragedy taking place in America’s streets? Some people who would like to help don’t feel comfortable giving money to homeless people, although experts in the field say that most of the time it is OK.

Keep ReadingShow less