The need for gas and oil is growing and this has made exploring remote and untapped regions for new resources necessary. While this could potentially be disadvantageous by damaging the environment, I believe the fact that it would open up more employment opportunities to the citizenry eclipses any supposed disadvantage.
By far, the most common criticism of going after oil and gas in distant and untouched areas is the potential for environmental catastrophes such as global warming and its devastating consequences. If areas like the Arctic and polar regions, for example, are exploited all in the name of accessing more natural resources to satisfy human needs, the melting of the ice in these zones could lead to the submergence of coastal regions. The case of Kiribati was a deeply pathetic one in this instance. As far back as the late 80s, a UN report on the greenhouse effect listed Kiribati as one of the countries at risk from rising sea levels, no thanks to the extensive activities of mineral exploitation in the area. A few years later, some of the country’s uninhabited islands disappeared under the waves. Hence, the pursuit of more gas and oil to uncharted territories to meet escalating human needs has a detrimental effect on the ecosystem.
On the other hand, exploring remote and untouched regions for gas and oil would create millions of job opportunities around the world. Today, unemployment is a major challenge facing several countries, especially those in the southern part of the Sahara. Oil industries, being one of the largest employers of labour would help address this if oil and gas exploration is extended to areas previously unexploited because various types of labour such as skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled would be required to complete the project. Through this, many would earn a livelihood and be able to provide for their families. This alone is far superior to any negative that could be associated with exploiting crude oil in these areas.
In conclusion, although exploring remote and untapped territories for gas and oil to meet the escalating human demand has the drawback of harming the environment, the plus point of massive employment opportunities for all and sundry certainly dwarfs it.