BP Oil Spill

The Gulf oil spill, or BP oil spill, was one of biggest oil leaks in history. Despite the fact that oil is a naturally occurring substance created by decaying plant matter over millions of years, it is a substance best left underground. We use it to fuel our cars just like how we use coal to power the amenities in our homes such as our oven's, air-conditioners, and lights. Being in the developed nation that we are in, we take these amenities for granted, as it is difficult to quantify the true impact they have on the environment.

Yet, we still drive cars that run on oil, and we still use electricity that relies on coal. We are paying oil companies out of pocket to get ourselves from point A to point B. Quite obviously, companies like BP recognize that there is an enormous demand for petroleum products. Thus, they have built one of the many oil platforms such as the "Deepwater Horizon" oil rig. There were a total of 8 fail-safe procedures in place to help prevent the events that inevitably occurred on April 20th, 2010. 

The effects of the oil spill do not limit themselves to the financial costs in such a disaster. The BP oil spill has affected the ecology of the ocean life, down to the very phytoplankton that provide for the rest of the food chain.  Due to the fact that crustacean and fish populations are nearly depleted as a result, the financial status of New Orleans has suffered a considerable blow. Michael Bell states, "These disasters not only affect individual people, but can also threaten the social fabric that links us one to another." Thus, it must be realized that there are inherent risks with the technology we create, and we can only have so many more disasters like this on our planet.

Sources:
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19425-the-eight-failures-that-caused-the-gulf-oil-spill.html#.VSXyqvnF-Sp
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/bps-gross-negligence-caused-gulf-oil-spill-federal-judge-rules/2014/09/04/3e2b9452-3445-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html
- http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/04/the_2010_gulf_of_mexico_oil_sp.html
- http://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill
- Bell, Michael. An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, 1998. Print.