The Problem With Oil

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The discovery of crude oil in the United States occurred in the early nineteenth century. Since its discovery, there have been both positive and negative events due to this black raw material. One major negative thing that has taken place, and continues to happen today, is oil spills. These can occur in nature, but mainly, the cause of oil spills can almost always be linked to humans. 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. Ways of cleaning or reducing oil spills other than natural processes includes physical barriers, chemical dispersants and biological agents, and human labor. Overall, oil spills are a major environmental and economic problem which needs something done to help prevent damage to the environment and economies worldwide. A popular question, as specified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad... ... middle of paper ... ... and BP’s Legal Trouble.” PBS. Published 9 July, 2013. Retrieved 1 June, 2014. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/gulf-oil-spill-by-the-numbers/. “Environmental Effects of Oil Spills on Marine Ecosystems.” Ports and Maritime Organization. Updated 2013. Retrieved 2 June, 2014 http://bushehrport.pmo.ir/en/maritimeenvironment/coastalmarine. “Marine Spills”. The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited. Updated 2013. Retrieved 1 June, 2014. http://www.itopf.com/marine-spills/. “Sorbents.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. Updated 27 May, 2014. Retrieved 1 June, 2014. http://www2.epa.gov/emergency-response/sorbents. Biello, David. “Slick Solution: How Microbes Will Clean Up the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.” Updated May 25, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2014. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-microbes-clean-up-oil-spills/.

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