The Deep Horizon Oil Spill

The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that “almost 14,000 thousand oil spills are reported each year” (“Response”). Hence, it is clear that as the world continues to use this powerful, non-renewable resource more and more, accidents are very possible at any time. Moreover, oil spills damage the planet and society in numerous ways. As a result of marine oil spills, the organisms, the environments, and the economy suffer. Firstly, many organisms take damage when it comes to oil spills.

The Oil Spill The BP oil spill happened off the United States coast in the Gulf of Mexico and is considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. After the oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and sunk it continued to leak oil for 87 days until it was capped, which resulted in an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil leaking into the ocean. The Deep Water Horizon was a sem... ... middle of paper ... .... Retrieved 15 November 2013. Dermansky, Julie (20 April 2013). "Three Years After the BP Spill, Tar Balls and Oil Sheen Blight Gulf Coast".

An oil spill of 4.9 million barrels, which happened in 2010, created not only turmoil for the environment, but caused the economy to take a great hit from the loss of an important raw material. Transocean were the owners of the oil rig drilling on behalf of BP, who were the ones at fault for the spill. This event caused a stir in both the government and non-governmental organizations, because of the extensive damage that it caused. Federal investigations were put under way to determine the factors that caused the spill and once the investigation was concluded several environmental groups began to target the company to portray them as negligent. BP became the sole recipient of both the government and environmental organizations attacks, therefore requiring them to rethink their social responsibility and be used as an example for future environmental changes.

Most people believe that one man-made natural disaster would teach us to be better, but we have learned that history repeats itself. The Exxon Valdez oil spill (in 1989) and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, or BP oil spill, (in 2010) were both devastating oil spills that shocked the nation. The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred due to a tanker grounding. The BP oil spill was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform. These two oil spills were both disasters and had greater effects in certain categories.

As the Office of Response and Restoration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Department of Commerce state, “Oil that spills into rivers, bays, and the ocean are caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, and storage facilities. Spills can be caused by people making mistakes or being careless, equipment breaking down, and deliberate acts by terrorists, countries at war, vandals, or illegal dumpers ” (response.restoration.noaa.gov). Humans are responsible for most of these things happening, which takes a rather large toll on the environment and wildlife. Oil spills are a problem because the extremely large amounts of oil kills helpless animals and plants while damaging fragile ecosystems, clean-up efforts take decades to complete, and they cause economic stress. However, even though there are several problems surrounding oil spills, there are solutions to help clean them up after they take place.

BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10757751 BP oil disaster (2012, February 8). BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special_reports/oil_disaster/ Kroh, K., & Conathan, M. (2012, April 19). The Lasting Impact of Deepwater Horizon: Five Reasons We Can’t Forget About the BP Oil Spill.

Offshore Riches-Onshore Problems On April 20, 2010, a misinterpretation of a pressure test and one miscalculation lead to the loss of eleven men and many creatures and forever harmed the Gulf of Mexico. Somewhere between 18 to 39 million barrels of oil go dumped into the Gulf of Mexico, making this one of the worst spills in history (Malcolm). A simple damaged wellhead was the cause of this great disaster, which affected the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The BP spill was a wakeup call for America, allowing them to realize the consequences of offshore drilling. (Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill).

Due to the major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it has become one of the world’s most hazardous concerns. There are many effects of the BP oil spill: wildlife, fishing and shrimp industry, tourism, and health effects. I will discuss why I highly disagree with the main source of energy to be is oil. The Gulf of Mexico contains some of the most spectacular wildlife in the world include manatee, bottle-nose dolphins, and whooping cranes, jus... ... middle of paper ... ...esilience in the US Gulf Coast after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.” Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research July 2010: 297-315. Print.

Oil Spill Facts. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Company, n.d. Web. 02 May 2014. "Offshore Drilling: Industry Perspectives."

(2010). The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill by the Numbers. The Daily Green. Retrieved February 16, 2012, from http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-facts. Jervis, R. & Jones, C. (2010).