Jeremy Bloom of our sister site Red, Green, and Blue has a great follow-up to the mass bird death story that gets into the very likely possibility that the deaths are related to hydraulic fracking (the top possibility in my mind) as well as other interesting topics. Here’s the intro:
Alfred Hitchcock must be smiling. Officials are still telling people the recent fish and bird deaths in Arkansas and Louisiana are perfectly normal – while also admitting they have no idea what really caused the die-offs.
Stepping into that information vacuum, bloggers are asking if there’s a link between the deaths and nearby natural gas fracking operations. Fracking can release toxic chemicals into the water supply, and there are more than 3,000 wells scattered across the region.
This part of Arkansas has been suffering from a plague of earthquakes. And while experts are claiming no connection between the fracking and the quakes, that’s not convincing many locals
For the full story, read: Is Fracking Causing Blackbird Deaths and Earthquakes?
The possibility of fracking being the root cause of the deaths in Arkansas also might help to explain why this is not only happening in Arkansas. Fracking has exploded in recent years in the U.S. (no pun intended) and probably in other places as well.
While many consider gas a greener alternative to coal (what isn’t cleaner than coal?), it still has many negative ramifications, serious ones. You can probably add mass bird and fish deaths to the list now, which is concerning enough, but the effects of fracking on human health is what’s really making people nervous (or worse).
As you can see in the graph above, fracking has skyrocketed since mid-2009. We are getting more and more news every day about the serious effects this is having on human health and the environment. Only expect more.
Related Stories:
1. Over 3,000 Birds Mysteriously Die, Fall from Sky in Arkansas
2. More Possible Explanations for Mass Bird Deaths, Birds Falling from Sky
3. Birds Fall from the Sky in More Places
4. Sudden Fish Kills, Bird Die-offs, and Other “Fortean” Events
Akransas map image via ProAmLib
Fracking graph via Energy Market Perspective [PDF]
This doesn’t explain the bird & fish deaths in Sweden, Italy and New Zelands. I think you map is flawed and misleading.
Fracking is pretty toxic and a very poor choice for alt energy. http://www.leftinalabama.com/diary/7328/fire-water-or-dick-cheney-strikes-again
And it might be the cause in Arkansas. But what about the dead birds in Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Italy, Japan and Sweden? (and God knows where else by now) My guess at this point is bird flu. (maybe a new strain)
i haven’t seen maps of hydraulic fracking in these places, but the process has exploded in the past couple years & I’m sure it is going on in a lot of other places it wasn’t long ago