Oil Spills: An Inconvenient Truth

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Preface
The production and exportation of oil by the human race results in one of the most
detrimental problems facing the Earth. Oil spills are of constant reoccurrence in the world today,
having significant and profound impacts on species, the environment, economy and health.
An oil spill is the mass release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon often from tankers,
offshore drilling rigs, underwater pipelines, or storage facilities into a body of water.1 There are
various types of oils that can contribute to an oil spill, depending on the source of the spill. Oils
vary on a large scale from light, to heavy crude oils and are categorized by the rate at which they
dissolve, toxicity and viscosity.2 One of the most prominent types of oil in industries today are
crude oils. Crude oil is essentially a liquid petroleum, which is a hydrocarbon mixture of
chemical molecules that contain carbon and hydrogen.3 It is an extremely dangerous fossil fuel,
as it has hazardous health affects when ingested by marine life, has severe impacts to water flow
and has little to no rate of evaporation, making it a long-term mission in recovering the water and
shoreline it has affected.2
In the world economy, the oil industry is essentially one of the most powerful and
prominent industries, as oil is of extremely high demand in various countries across the globe.
The increase in production of oil is directly related to the rapid increase of oil demand and
consumption that continues to grow exponentially every year. This high demand in oil is proven
through a study that showed that by the end of the year 2015, the production of oil reached 97
million barrels per day and in 2016, the average global oil demand was 96 million barrels of oil a
day.4 In many nations, the generation of oil is essential in creating a prosperous economy, as it
1 "How Do Spills Happen?" How Do Spills Happen? N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.
2 "Oil Types." Oil Types. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.
3"Crude Oil and Natural Gas: From Source to Final Products." Oil and Gas Industry Overview. N.p., n.d.
Web. 02 Mar. 2017.
4 "Oil." Oil. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.
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creates a large source of income. The combination of nations demanding the importation of oil,
with nations manufacturing and exporting the substance, ultimately creates a prominent world
business. Nations in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, are areas of largest oil
production, whereas North American and Asian countries lead in global annual consumption.5
Whether it is in North America, Europe, or the Middle East, the oil industry is one of the most
distinct and influential industries in the world.
As demand and rate of consumption of oil increases, the transportation of oil through
imports and exports and the production of it increases as well. This ultimately results in a higher
risk for human error in the transportation of oil overseas through leaks and a higher risk for
accidental oil spills at storage facilities. To this day, the primary cause of oil spills are
unintentional including the breaking down of equipment, sincere mistakes made by oil
companies, or unexpected natural disasters, such as hurricanes that can not be prevented.
However, in many cases oil spills occur due to careless reasons, including illegal dumpers and
company ignorance of oil policies and regulation. Unfortunately, oil spills have occurred due to
deliberate reasons as well, such as playing a role in winning a war.
Significance
Oil spills have disastrous and significant long-term effects on a nations economy, the
health of local citizens and clean-up volunteers, as well as on the environment and the Earths
exquisite species.
An oil spill can have immensely drastic effects on various aspects of a countrys
economy. Preceding a large spill, there are possible indirect, as well as direct effects on fishing
industries. Many of the aquatic species in the area of the contamination become infected and
companies run the risk of being banned from selling fish products to its customers. As a result,
these fisheries are forced to shut down for a period of time, largely affecting their business and
5KiranPadman. "Bp Statistical Review of World Energy 2016 Full Report." Scribd. Scribd, n.d. Web. 03
Mar. 2017.
Appendix I.
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jeopardizing their source of income.6 The possible indirect affect on fisheries is a general
decrease in profit simply due to consumer fear of contamination and illness. As consumers
become unwilling to consume hazardous fish and shellfish, fisheries begin to suffer.
In addition to the negative impact oil spills have on fishing industries, they also
immensely influence a countrys tourism industry. Many aspects of an oil spill create
unfavourable environmental conditions, ultimately making it an unpleasant experience for
tourists visiting the country. Activities involving the body of water, such as scuba diving, or
swimming are no longer sources of attraction. The sick, oil-encased marine life make it difficult
for an individual to have the desire to visit the country. A drop in tourism can be absolutely
catastrophic on a tourism-dependant nation, as this is the governments main source of profit.
Following the BP Gulf of Mexico Spill in 2010, there was a visible drop in the tourism industry
in Mexico, in addition to other common tourist areas in the United States of America, as they all
share the same body of water. In an article discussing the affect of the oil spill in Florida, the
spokeswoman for the Visit Pensacola (convention and visitors bureau for Escambia County in
Florida), claimed that revenue fell off $10.4 million from June through August after the spill.7
On a global level, a drop in tourism in one country is another countrys gain, as it is
advantageous for other nations to take the affected countrys customers. Ultimately, this leads to
evident competition between tourism industries worldwide.
Not only does an oil spill affect citizens outside the country, but also the citizens of the
nation itself due to the decisions that must be made by the government as an outcome of the spill.
The process of recovery can be extensive and incredibly expensive depending on the severity of
the spill. For example, eighty-seven days after the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater
Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, when an estimated 3.19 million barrels of oil had already
6"Global Marine Oil Pollution Information Gateway Facts Socio-economic and health effects of oil spills."
Global Marine Oil Pollution Information Gateway Facts Socio-economic and health effects of oil spills.
N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.
7 Jones, Charisse. "Tourism returning a year after the Gulf oil spill." USA Today. Gannett Satellite
Information Network, 23 Apr. 2011. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.
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leaked into the Gulf, the pipe was finally capped.8 It is the governments responsibility to assist
the company by investing money in the cleaning process, putting efficient methods of recovery
into place and paying for medical treatment of individuals, as well as for appropriate and
protective equipment to be worn by cleaners.9 These investments and obligations made by the
government to assist in the cleaning process could possibly result in an increased taxation on
citizens of the country. Consequently, citizens of the nation may depart the country due to its
suffering economic and environmental state.
There are many ways individuals can be directly, or indirectly harmed by oil spills,
whether it is through consumption of contaminated fish, or seafood, inhalation of the oil, or
direct skin-to-oil contact. Public health is a substantial issue, raising immense concern to citizens
in the area of the spill, as well as to cleanup workers and volunteers. However, many sources
claim that cleaners of the oil spill are at a higher risk than local civilians to face medical
problems.10 Cleanup volunteers and workers are constantly exposed to the oil, allowing its
toxicity to have profound impacts on their health. It is critical for food to be inspected preceding
an oil spill, as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are extremely dangerous chemicals
present in oil that can cause cancer.10 Following the Gulf of Mexico Spill in 2010, the U.S Food
and Drug Administration had to carefully monitor levels of PAHs in seafood.10 Fisheries must
always be inspected to determine levels of PAHs in food and if the food is associated with
petroleum dispersants, the fishery is closed down.
This issue is of tremendous significance as it affects marine life and ecosystems, making
it a catastrophic environmental issue. Oil is a substance that contaminates fur of mammals and
birds, ultimately affecting their degree of buoyancy. If a species body is encased in a thick sleet
of oil, they are incapable of floating and drown as a result. In addition, the natural body scent of
8Frost, Emily. "Gulf Oil Spill." Ocean Portal | Smithsonian. Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural
History, 05 Jan. 2017. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.
9 Rinkesh. "Effects of Oil Spills." Conserve Energy Future. N.p., 24 Dec. 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.
10Frost, Emily. "Gulf Oil Spill." Ocean Portal | Smithsonian. Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural
History, 05 Jan. 2017. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.
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animals can be affected resulting in failure of parents to detect the scent of their offspring. This
leads to possible endangerment of species due to reproduction problems. Some animals may
even run the chance of becoming blind and disabled, which can be passed down to future
generations of species, negatively impacting the entire food chain, as all animals are
interconnected. Finally, oil spills can affect the mass migration of large aquatic species, such as
whales, which affects their population, as migration is a key component of their survival.10
A prominent example of the effects of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on the areas most
threatened species at the time, the Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle, was reported by ecologist, Selina
Heppell. She said that, The endangered turtles were rebounding between 1990 and 2010, with
nest numbers expected to reach 50,000 by 2014. Instead, last year's count was around 11,000.11
This drastic drop in the population of this species truly demonstrates the significance of oil spills
on the Earths species.
Background
Oil spills have presented to be an issue to Earth and its nations since the early
development of the oil industry. As nations began to develop through the course of time,
discovered oil reserves and began trade of oil amongst each other, the problem became more
prominent. The increase in demand of oil and the rapid consumption of this non-renewable
resource has gradually escalated over the past few decades.
Scientists have studied the evolution of oil spills since the beginning of time. It has been
proven that oil spills occurred naturally on Earth one thousand years ago and continue to occur
naturally today.12 Oil enters the ocean through natural oil seeps that exist along the seafloor. The
hydrocarbons leak out of the ground through fractures, fissures in the ocean seabed and eroding
11 Mole, Beth. "An Oil Spill's Aftermath." Science News. 18 Apr. 2015: 22. eLibrary. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.
12
Thompson, Andrea. "FAQ: The Science and History of Oil Spills." LiveScience. Purch, 23 Apr. 2010.
Web. 03 Mar. 2017.
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sedimentary rock, entering and infecting large bodies of water across the world.13 The National
Research Council (NRC) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences discovered that, Of the
total load of petroleum hydrocarbons discharged into the sea, natural seeps account for the
largest load, nearly 61 percent of the total.14 In a 2003 report from the National Research
Council, it was estimated that approximately 160 000 tonnes of petroleum enter North
American waters through natural seeps each year.15 At the best known oil seep, Coal Oil Point,
along the California coast, an estimated 2000 to 3000 gallons of crude oil is released each day.16
Evidently, a significant amount of natural oil seeps out of the ocean floor on a daily basis.
Although natural oil plays a role in the accumulation of oil in the ocean, natural oil spills
have considerably less profound impacts on various aspects of the Earth, than human caused
spills. Oil that is released through seeps flows at an extremely slow, controllable rate. Often, the
material flowing from the seeps is heavily biodegraded by microbial action deep beneath the
seafloor, allowing for easier digestion of it by surrounding organisms.17 In fact, a few unique
species of animals have the ability to use the mixture of chemicals and hydrocarbons released at
seeps as a source of metabolic energy.18 It is evident that natural oil spills can in fact be
beneficial to organisms, as it is a continuous process that the sea naturally undergoes and animals
have become accustomed to. Although, due to selfishness and high demand within the human
race, the number of oil spills have accumulated profoundly. Oil spills are no longer solely being
caused by natural means, but rather due to human mistakes as well.
13
California, SOS. "Natural Oil Seepage Facts." SOS California. SOS California, 02 Mar. 2017. Web. 05
Mar. 2017.
14 Ibid.
15 What Are Natural Oil Seeps? N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
16
Thompson, Andrea. "FAQ: The Science and History of Oil Spills." LiveScience. Purch, 23 Apr. 2010.
Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
17 "Natural Oil Seeps." Natural Oil Seeps : Oil in the Ocean. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
18 Ibid.
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As technology becomes increasingly more advanced, the probability of an oil spill to

occur increases with it. The basic process of the oil extraction industry can be classified into four
major processes. This includes exploration; the search for rock formations associated with oil
deposits, well development; construction of wells on the oil site, production; the process of
extracting and selling the liquid hydrocarbon, and site abandonment; plugging the well and
restoring the site.19 New technologies and practices have been implemented within the oil
extraction and production process, in order to allow operators to save time and reduce
operational costs.20 Although, in many cases these advanced methods fail due to unpredictable
technology and unreliable technological methods.
A prominent example of the failure of technology that led to a catastrophic spill in the
Gulf of Mexico was inactivation of the blowout preventer. The blowout preventer (BOP) was the
industrys primary line of defence against an oil spill.21Although, over-reliance on one piece of
technological equipment led to one of the most disastrous oil spills in history. This proves that
technology is not always the most reliable method in oil extraction and production. Many
companies depend on technology in the oil industry, as it does present some benefits to the
company, although it can be extremely unreliable. In the cases that technology fails and an oil
spill occurs, the outcome is catastrophic.
Each year, researchers must make changes to the list of the most disastrous oil spills in
the world, as each year a new oil spill occurs. On March 18th 1967, The Torrey Canyon Oil Spill
occurred in Scilly Isles, United Kingdom releasing an approximate 25-36 million gallons of oil.13
For twelve days oil spilled into the sea, contaminated the coastlines of England and France and
killed more than 25 000 birds.22 No spill of this size had ever occurred at this point in history, so
19"The Development Process." Development Process for Oil and Gas Production. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar.
2017.
20 Ibid.
21Fairley, Peter. "How Technology Failed in the Gulf Spill." MIT Technology Review. MIT Technology
Review, 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
22 "Torrey Canyon." Torrey Canyon | Joye Research Group. N.p., 18 Mar. 1967. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
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scientists immediately responded in assembling a fast and efficient clean-up procedure and the
case was studied closely.23 At the time, this spill seemed to be the worst to have ever occurred,
although as oil industries began to develop, it slowly became the least disastrous spill in history.
On January 19th, 1991, the Gulf War Oil Spill in Kuwait occurred. 380-520 million
gallons of oil was deliberately released by Iraqi troops, as they opened oil valves to slow the
advance of American troops during the Gulf War.24 This spill resulted in the death of 30 000
birds, in comparison to the 25 000 that had been killed in the Torrey Canyon Oil Spill, only 24
years earlier.25
The Kuwait spill is still recorded to be the largest oil spill in history, although the
intentions behind this spill was very different from the spill that occurred in the United Kingdom.
The Kuwait oil spill was not caused due to human error, or accident. It was deliberately planned
and developed as a strategic plan in a war. This shows how throughout the course of history the
intentions behind humans have changed. The Kuwait oil spill could have been prevented, as it
was not a mistake. Thousands of species died, and unfortunately the Earths ocean will never
fully recover from this event.
Whether it is in Cape Town, South Africa, Genoa, Italy, or off the Persian Gulf in Iran, oil
spills have proposed to be an issue in all areas of the world. In the United States alone, there has
been 44 oil spills, each over 420 000 gallons since 1969.26 Technology continues to advance in
the oil industry, and intentions behind the human race continue to change, allowing each years
new oil spill to compete in severity with the previous one.
23 "Torrey Canyon." NOAA | IncidentNews. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

24 Tutton, Mark. CNN. Cable News Network, 04 June 2010. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
25 "Torrey Canyon." Torrey Canyon | Joye Research Group. N.p., 18 Mar. 1967. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
26Largest Oil Spills Affecting U.S. Waters Since 1969." Largest Oil Spills Affecting U.S. Waters Since
1969. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
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Expert
Dr. Arne Jernelv is a Swedish biologist and environmental scientist, with renowned
expertise on the topic of oil spills.27 He served as Director and Professor of the Environmental
and Space Research Institute in Kiruna, Sweden. Shortly preceding this, he served as Director of
the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria. The IIASA
is an international scientific institute that conducts policy-oriented research into global
environmental, economical, social and technological problems.28 At this institute, Jernelv
directed and developed solutions to a variety of environmental problems, including climate
change, environmental pollution and land use.29
Arne Jernelv led a United Nations advisory and assessment team at the Ixtoc oil spill
that occurred on June 3, 1979 in Bahia de Campeche, Mexico.30 In addition to the Ixtoc accident,
he performed similar advisory and assessment of a variety of other tanker accidents during the
1970s and 1990s.31 At the beginning of the 1990s, he led a United Nations study on the BP oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico.32 Jernelv is the author of a variety of novels that are written
regarding the effects of oil spills such as the book, Oil Makes for Troubled Waters: Often
Forgotten Spill Lessons. In addition to writing novels on the topic of oil spills, Jernelv has
conducted extensive research on invasive species and is the author of, The Long-Term Fate of
Invasive Species.
27Jernelv, Arne. "The Long-Term Fate of Invasive Species." Aliens Forever or | Arne Jernelv | Springer.
Springer International Publishing, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
28"IIASA in Brief - Information Kit." IIASA in Brief - Information Kit - IIASA in Brief - IIASA. N.p., n.d. Web.
27 Mar. 2017.
29 Ibid.
30Jernelv, Arne. "The Threats from Oil Spills: Now, Then, and in the Future." Ambio. Springer
Netherlands, July 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
31 Ibid.
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In Arne Jernelvs research paper, The Threats of Oil Spills: Now, Then, and in the
Future, he outlines a variety of points. He extensively explains factors in the oil industry that
increase the potential risk for reoccurring spills, with reference to areas such as the Russian
Arctic, the northwestern Amazon and Niger Delta. In addition, he outlines the role of media and
control over published works regarding fatal oil spills. Finally, Jernelv takes a comprehensive
look into the effects of oil spills, with assisting information from many oil spills he extensively
researched as part of the United Nations body.33
Jernelv conducted research on many of the factors in the oil industry that increase the
potential for an oil spill to occur. The first problem outlined is ill-maintained equipment, such as
oil spills associated with leaking pipelines. He explains that oil spills due to poorly structured
pipelines occur regularly in the Niger Delta, the Russian Arctic and in the Northwestern Amazon.
However, they are very rarely reported and often disregarded as minor spills, with no cleanup
process involved. When studying each of these three main areas separately, Jernelv was able to
find the common cause of spills in each area. Rust, lack of maintenance, and continuous use of
unreliable oil equipment can be concluded to be the factors that mainly contributes to 1.5 million
tons of oil spilt in the Niger Delta in the past 50 years.34
In the Russian Arctic, Jernelv concluded that ineffective cleanup operations and absence
of equipment ultimately contributes to the worsening oil spill situation in the Arctic. Each year, a
new spill occurs and there is continuous failure at successful cleanup methods. One of the most
prominent clean-up methods used in the Russian Arctic is setting fire to the oil. Preceding two
consecutive oil spills in the area, researchers studied the effectiveness of the fire technique as a
cleanup method. Jernelv claims that, As spring came, it was obvious that the combination of
oil and fire after the second discharge had damaged the lichens, mosses, and scrubs of the tundra
even more than the oil from the first discharge. This statement clearly proves that the
34 Ibid.
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ineffectiveness of clean-up methods continues to contribute to the oil spill cycle in the Russian
Arctic.35
In the Northwestern Amazon, operations performed during the extraction and storage
process of the oil industry are the primary cause for the contamination of the vulnerable land and
water of the area. Jernelv studied cases particularly in Peru and Ecuador, where a United States
oil company, Occidental in Peru and Texaco began searching and exploiting oil wells throughout
the 1960s and 1970s. Failure of adequate processing techniques by this company is explained.
Jernelv states that, During operations they released huge quantities of toxic waste,
euphemistically called "produced waters", into streams and onto lands in the Amazon rainforest.
They also routinely used unlined and uncovered earthen ponds, which often overflowed, to store
toxic chemicals. In addition to these mistakes performed by the oil company, The companies
are also accused of having caused numerous oil spills through inadequate infrastructure and
sloppy maintenance. As both of these practices can lead to extremely detrimental problems,
they were rightfully banned in the United States, although are continuously used in Peru and
Ecuador.36
In his paper, Jernelv discusses some of the effects of oil spills on species, the
environment and surrounding villages, particularly Indigenous ones. Birds and marine life are
species of greatest risk preceding a spill particularly since, birds are also susceptible to small oil
spots, as oil on their feathers impairs their normal insulation and leads to hypothermia. He
explicitly stresses the idea that although spills may not cause animal death, exposure to even
minimal levels of concentration results in animal impairment. Many problems arise concerning
the environment surrounding the spill, as well. One of the most prominent affects of oil spills is
massive amounts of green algae are found in the water, or along the shore, even years preceding
a spill. This causes problems, that affect the entire interconnected food chain as, many
36 Ibid.
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organisms, like mussels with plankton larvae, have difficulty in re-settling as the algae now
occupied the space. Not only does the environment suffer as a result of an oil spill, but Jernelv
studied the affects of spills on surrounding villages and the Indigenous people. He explains how
the reoccurring spills in the Northwestern Amazon, also made the indigenous population (who
bear the brunt of the burden of pollution and receive very little if anything at all of the economic
benefits) protest, sometimes violently, against the foreign oil companies and their own central
governments and occasionally also even sabotage the installations themselves. As Indigenous
populations commonly inhabit areas along water, or shorelines, they experience some of the
largest affects of a spill. Ultimately, it is evident through Jernelvs comprehensive paper that oil
spills have prominent affects on a variety of elements.37
Jernelv profoundly outlines the role of media and control of information in his research
paper. In his study of the 2010 BP oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, the role played
by the media and its affect on the public was evident. It is stated that, An explosion on the BP-
operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, has become the
second-most publicized environmental catastrophe in decades. Shortly preceding this spill,
scientists, politicians and journalists were highly advertised on media, creating awareness on the
severity of the spill. The BP oil spill made headlines across the world and the United States
President, Barack Obamas statement regarding the spill as, potentially the worst environmental
disaster in American history, raised immense awareness on the issue. Jernelvs analysis of the
role of media in his paper allows for the conclusion to be made that media has an extremely large
influence on oil spills. When politicians, such as the President of the United States, present
urgency to the situation and it is publicized, the situation becomes of greater concern to the
public.38
38 Ibid.
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The role of control regarding the publishing of works on the topic of oil spills is
explained by Jernelv. As a professional in the area and intense researcher on oil spills across the
world, Jernelv has studied a variety of cases. Although, he experiences a variety of frustrations
as a researcher and scientist in his studies. In the period of the 1970s to 1990s when he
participated with the UN body and many organizations including, the IMO (International
Maritime Organization), IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) and WHO (World
Health Organization) to study spills such as the Ixtoc and BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he
recognized many hardships as a scientist and researcher. The most prominent frustrating aspect
he faced was,
the reports scientists wrote could only be made public after clearance by the involved
government(s). Far too often, that clearance was not forthcoming and the reports were
instead suppressed. As a result, the scientists had to wait some years and then write about
the episodes in the form of overviews or popular-science articles, in which they could
only use information that was available from other sources.39
This means that the content the researchers truly aimed to share with the public was constantly
controlled, ultimately prohibiting them to raise awareness to the extent they wished on the issue
of oil spills.
Researchers and scientists including Jernelv could not share their intimate knowledge
from their studies to the extent they wished to. In his paper, Jernelv wishes to inform the public
on the severity of the issue of oil spills, as this is one of the most influential things he has the
power to do. Since the information he includes in his paper is processed and refined, it is difficult
for him and many other researchers to present solutions on this issue. Arne Jernelvs ultimate
goal throughout the course of his comprehensive research paper was in fact to inform the
audience on the issue to the best of his ability.
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Role of Religion
Religion plays a large role in the lives of many individuals in the world today. There are
an estimated 4000 religions, as individuals vary in beliefs, opinions and values in every nation,
ultimately creating a culturally diverse planet.
Oil spills have a minor, although notable effect on religious groups in the affected areas,
as they effectively prohibit the continuation of religious ceremonies and spiritual obligations for
a period of time preceding a spill. Degrading the view shed due to oil spills, or actual direct
oiling could affect the religious or ceremonial significance to the groups who use the particular
site40 and effectively reduce and mitigate numbers of religious ceremonies held in the area. As
religious ceremonies are often held on a daily basis, when a catastrophe of this kind occurs, the
consistency of religious ceremonies held may be affected, as clean up efforts are of main priority
at the time. This directly affects the religious citizens of the nation, as they are prohibited from
participating in their daily religious routines.
A prominent example of the effect a spill in the oil industry can have on religious groups
is the oil situation in Oporoza, Nigeria. Nigeria has suffered many spills over the course of
history, that have proven to have had a significant impact on not only the nations suffering
economy and aquatic life, but religious groups as well.
Schools have opened and shut haphazardly, church and community health programs
have been intermittently suspended. The chaotic closures affect the educational progress
of children and the communitys health. What social structures existed before are now
gone.41
40"Northern California Proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sale 91." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr.
2017.
41
Commentary. "Theres an invisible cost to Nigerias oil spill disasters." Quartz. Quartz, 10 Dec. 2016.
Web. 02 Apr. 2017.
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The analysis of Nigerias collapsing social structure, particularly regarding the aspect of
community church groups evidently demonstrates the impact oil spills have on religion. Religion
makes up a large portion of the social structure in many nations, as it does in Nigeria. With the
collapse of this intricate social structure individuals may begin to protest, ultimately amplifying
the state of chaos that is already present in the nation.
In addition to the collapse of social structures, the clean up process can have a significant
impact on cultural aspects such as, direct oiling of the intertidal gathering areas, degrading the
view shed of any historic, prehistoric, religious or ceremonial site, direct oiling of sites and/or
resources, and inadvertent destruction of sites due to cleanup.42
Many religious individuals show immense respect and passion, particularly for the
Earths elements, as this may be a vital aspect involved in their belief system. It makes it very
difficult for many to accept these disasters, as it is damages what they value most. In the book,
Rediscovering Church: The Story and Vision of Willow Creek Community Church individuals
of the church state,
Fear of environmental doom adds to our stress. Oil spills and hazardous waste violations
anger us. The breakdown of the earths atmosphere, the depletion of the earths resources,
and the contamination of the earths water supply put our future in jeopardy. Many feel
trapped in a fragile world and wonder about the word beyond.43
Due to fear of endangerment of the Earth and its environment, some religious groups are
persistent in the change of policies and can ultimately influence policy makers. Left-wing parties
are prominently in favour of creating a healthy environment and some politicians within these
parties support this to a larger extent, as it agrees with their religion. This is proven through the
42"Northern California Proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sale 91." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr.
2017.
43 "Rediscovering Church." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.
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following statement from a left-wing party, Oil is a depleting resource and other sources of
energy must be explored. Support increased exploration of alternative energy sources such as
wind and solar power.44 Left-wing parties already have increased intuition concerning care for
the environment. Therefore, religious individuals that are elected and in support of these policies
due to their own religious beliefs, can ultimately amplify awareness on the environment.
However, right-wing parties are accepted to be less aware of the environment, and
although some may be religious, their beliefs regarding the environment can differ in comparison
to left-wing beliefs. A right-winged policy that proves this statement is, Oil drilling should be
increased both on land and at sea. Increased domestic production creates lower prices and less
dependence on other countries for oil.45 Although religious individuals are elected into right-
wing parties in addition to left-wing parties, their belief on the environment may be more
focused on the influence and control of a God. For example, an individuals religion may believe
that oil spills are an act of God, so checks and safeguards do not have to be implemented, as it is
Gods decision of what will happen. Senator Ted Cruz has this set of belief system, as when he
was questioned in an interview regarding climate change he stated that, Climate change is not
science, but it is religion.46
Differing beliefs of left-wing and right-wing parties influences the aftermath of an oil
spill immensely. The extent of the preventative measures taken to prevent an oil spill, as well the
clean-up process organized preceding an accident are highly dependant of the government in
power and their set of beliefs. Politics play an immense role in oil spills, as politicians have the
power to assist, or ignore the situation at hand, depending on their beliefs.
44 "Conservative vs. Liberal Beliefs." Student News Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.
45 Ibid.
46"Ted Cruz: 'Climate Change Is Not Science -- It's Religion'" CNS News. N.p., 30 Oct. 2015. Web. 02
Apr. 2017.
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Role of Control
In every nation, there are different rules and regulations regarding the cleanup process of
an oil spill and the equipment used in the process. The government imposes rules of varying
rigidity and severity, depending on the nation, on oil companies in an attempt to prevent such
accidents from occurring. The amount and extent of control and power that the federal
government of a nation holds varies on the country and the rules within the country. Although, all
countries are similar in that the polluter is always responsible for their actions, is liable for
paying for oil spills and must be prepared to cleanup, respond and restore preceding an
accident.47
In many cases it takes a large, disastrous oil spill for a country to determine appropriate
laws regarding oil spills. In the United States of America, after the Exxon Valdez spilled more
than 11 million gallons of crude oil into the water of Prince William sound in 1989, a new system
was set in place.48 The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was enforced to address the problems
associated with oil pollution in bodies of water in the United States. Some of the policies that the
Oil Pollution Act (OPA) enforced was it set new requirements for vessel construction and crew
licensing, as well as increased penalties on oil corporations.49
In addition to the government controlling spills through acts like the OPA, the oil
company is held responsible for preventing another accident from ever occurring again. The
company responsible for the Exxon Valdex spill, ExxonMobilis, strengthened its training
programs for its vessel captains, modified tanker routes and implemented more periodic
assessment of its facilities after this tragic event.23 Since 1790, the United States Coast Guard
also has control over the safety and security of the nations waters.50 Recently, the NOAA
47 "Who Pays for Oil Spills?" Who Pays for Oil Spills? N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
48 "Learn about the Valdez oil spill." ExxonMobil. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
49 Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA)." Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA). N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
50 "Week in the life of the Coast Guard 2017 - Tuesday." Compass. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
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(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), who provide scientific support to the
Coast Guard during oil and chemical spills51 sent spatial data specialists aboard the Coast Guard
for an Arctic Technology Evaluation, a month-long scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean to
demonstrate and evaluate oil spill tools, technologies, and techniques.52 This is incredibly
important as the the severe weather conditions in areas such as the Arctic, where oil companies
highly exploit the resource, are areas of highest concern among researchers. In his research
paper, The Threats from Oil Spills: Now, Then, and in the Future expert, Arne Jernelv,
explains that biochemical breakdown of oil is extremely difficult in low temperature waters and
areas of extreme climate, such as the Arctic.53 This results in the oil contaminating waters for an
extensive period of time preceding a spill, as it is can not be effectively broken down in extreme
temperatures. With the assistance of this Arctic Technology Evaluation, preventative measures
can be taken to stop oil spills from reoccurring.
In Canada, the National Energy Board is responsible for not only making an
environmental assessment when oil facilities request to open, or specific activities are requested
by companies, but it also performs health and safety inspections for company workers.54 Since its
creation in 1959, the National Energy Board seems to be successful in regulating and managing
projects under its control and promises to impose or recommend terms and conditions related to
the priorities of protecting the safety of Canadians and environment.55
It is extremely important to recognize the role of control large oil business and
corporations have on the government. When considering this, the reoccurrence of oil spills can
51 NOAA Again Joins Coast Guard for Oil Spill Exercise in the Arctic. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2017.
52 NOAA Again Joins Coast Guard for Oil Spill Exercise in the Arctic. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2017.
Netherlands, July 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2017.
54Government of Canada, National Energy Board. "Who we are." Government of Canada, National
Energy Board. N.p., 01 Dec. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
55 Government of Canada, National Energy Board. "FAQs on Environmental Assessments." Government
of Canada, National Energy Board. N.p., 06 Jan. 2017. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
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be explained. Oil production is the source of billions of dollars entering a nation each year. In
many countries, the oil industry is so prominent and crucial for the economy that the government
is able to foresee an oil companys failure to abide by rules and regulations. In Russia, Crude oil
exports alone were greater in value than the value of all non-oil and natural gas exports.56 This
statement proves how prominent the oil industry is. Due to its success in the oil industry in 2015,
Russia had a trade balance of $132 billion, as it exported $316 billion and imported $184
billion.57 Russias government submits to large corporations by allowing them to do what they
feel necessary to refine and export oil as efficiently as possible, as it is for the benefit of the
nation. Large businesses in the the oil industry have evident monetary control over the
government, ultimately giving them permission to take advantage of many rules and regulations.
In the movie, Who Killed the Electric Car, the executive director for Energy and Climate
Solutions, Joseph J. Romm, states that, Theres no question that the people who control the
marketplace today, the oil companies, have a strong incentive to discourage alternatives except
the alternatives that they themselves control.58 Oil companies have the power to disregard
regulations set by the government, as the success of the oil industry is of immense importance to
the nations government.
Many individuals from the government, oil companies, to the citizens of the country
should care about oil spills. As citizens in a country, individuals should be able to trust large
corporations, as well as the government. When citizens begin to question their own government
and the validity of their authority on large corporations, a nation can enter immense chaos. A
nation filled with consumer disbelief and distrust in their own government is a nation of
immense concern. By citizens knowing that rules have been put in place by the government on
56 "U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis." Oil and natural
gas sales accounted for 68% of Russia's total export revenues in 2013 - Today in Energy - U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA). N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2017.
57 "Russia." OEC - Russia (RUS) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2017.
58Who killed the electric car? Dir. Chris Paine. By Chris Paine and Martin Sheen. Prod. Jessie Deeter.
N.p., n.d. Web.
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large corporations, and the corporations follow these rules, an individual can feel at ease, have
faith in their country and trust their nation. Unfortunately, often times due to monetary
importance and economic stability, governments find discrete ways to allow large oil-producing
corporations to fail at following the supposedly rigid rules and regulations set in place.
Logic of Evil
The logic of evil is a concept widely studied in issues that face the Earth, the economy
and its people and can be applied virtually to any given world issue. In brief explanation, the
logic of evil is the idea and reasoning behind an individuals actions. In studying the logic of
evil, it is critical to always recognize that there is evil in the world and to ask yourself what the
logic behind that evil is. For example, Adolf Hitler was essentially responsible for the murder of
nearly six million jews during World War ll. Naturally, it is considered morally and ethically
correct to accuse Hitler for his unjust actions and to pronounce him as an insane dictator.
Although, when considering the logic of evil, these thoughts must be put aside and one must step
back to ask themselves the logic behind Hitlers actions. To do so, his actions must be closely
analyzed. An individual can explain the logic of evil behind this mass genocide as organized and
effective. Hitler was able to strip Jews from their money, creating corruption within their race. In
doing so, he effectively created an internal enemy, which he could not afford to have under his
rule. As a result, he organized concentration and death camps to eliminate his enemies. When
considering the logic of evil, recognizing why an individual, corporation, group, or individual
did something is not the same as supporting them.59
The logic of evil can effectively be applied to the topic of oil spills in a variety of ways.
The oil industry is extremely influential in the world economy, as it presents many economic
advantages. Oil has many favourable properties such as it is known to be a versatile fossil fuel, is
easier to burn than coal and is relatively easy to transport and to store, as it is a liquid that can
run through pipelines.60 It is unreasonable to say that the oil industry will come to an end simply
59 Morrison, David. The Logic of Evil. Innisdale Secondary School, Barrie. 17 Feb. 2017. Lecture.
60 "Fossil Fuel." Fossil Fuel RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
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due to the various catastrophic oil spills that have occurred throughout history. Oil is not only an
efficient and manageable substance, but it provides jobs to thousands of citizens across the globe.
Countries such as Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Algeria, who are all contributing nations to the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, account for more than 80% of the worlds
proven crude oil reserves.61 In 2015 in Saudi Arabia alone, 568.5 million tonnes of oil was
produced, supplying thousands of jobs to citizens in its country.62
Companies are aware that the government would never eliminate oil corporations, as it is
an immense source of income for many countries. There are rules and regulations set in place in
every oil company and facility, although it is easy for workers to disregard some of these.
Companies often skip important, preventative oil spill measures and fail to routinely check oil
equipment. In nations such as Saudi Arabia, loss of exporting oil to their main trade partner, the
United States, would result in the loss of thousand of jobs, ultimately putting the country into
immense poverty.63 For this reason, it is unreasonable to say that the global oil industry will be
shut down due to oil spills, as money is of serious value to every nation and ultimately
contributes to its prosperity. Although there are serious environmental justifications as to why
corporations should take extra preventative measures to prevent spills, the environment is not an
oil companys main concern.
In the documentary, Before the Flood, concerning climate change, Leonardo DiCaprio
visits India, a nation that is struggling to supply affordable electricity to its rapidly growing
population. As 30% of households in India are yet to have access to energy, the nation must
ensure their electricity is affordable, in order to supply electricity to everybody. The nation has a
vast reservoir of coal, making this non-renewable resource a common source of Indias energy.
In an interview with a woman, Sunita Narain, from the Centre for Science and Environment, Leo
61"OPEC Share of World Crude Oil Reserves." OPEC : OPEC Share of World Crude Oil Reserves. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
62
KiranPadman. "Bp Statistical Review of World Energy 2016 Full Report." Scribd. Scribd, n.d. Web. 03
Mar. 2017.
63 "Saudi Arabia." OPEC : Saudi Arabia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
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questions Narain on why India has not replaced the use of coal, with natural resources such as
wind and solar energy. She responds by stating the logic of the nations evil.64 She says,
Coal is cheap, whether you and I like it, or not. You have to think about this from this
point of view. If you created the problem in the past, we will create it in the future
people say, oh the worlds poor should move to solar, why do they have to make the
mistakes we have made?. I hear this all the time from American NGOs. I mean, if it was
that easy I would really like the US to move towards solar, but you havent. Lets put our
money where our mouth is.65
Just as Narain said, the logic behind developing countries continuously using non-renewable
resources, whether coal, natural gas, or oil can be explained thoroughly. Developed nations who
exploit and use these resources to the same, or to larger extent than developing nations are not
transitioning to other forms of energy. In the novel, The Sacred Balance, it states that, Since
1940 Americans alone have used up as large a share of the Earths mineral resources as all
previous generations put together. In regards to water, a person in an industrialized country
uses between 350 and 1000 litres of water daily, whereas a person living in rural Kenya may use
2 to 5 litres of water a day. Industrialized countries, such as the United States of America should
lead by example. They should begin to direct developing nations in the right direction, by
transitioning to renewable sources first and ultimately assisting other nations in the process of
doing so.
The logic of evil differs in many oil spill cases, as through the evolution of time, human
motives change. In the case of the Kuwait Oil Spill, the logic of evil was extremely evident. Iraqi
forces released millions of barrels of oil into the sea as a tactic in war.66 In the face of conflict
64Before the Flood. Dir. Fisher Stevens. By Fisher Stevens and Mark Monroe. Prod. Fisher Stevens and
Leonardo DiCaprio. N.p., n.d. Web.
65 Ibid.
66Tutton, Mark. "Lessons learned from the largest oil spill in history." CNN. Cable News Network, 04 June
2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
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with one of the worlds biggest powers, the United States, Iraq was forced to make an
environmental sacrifice in the face of conflict. This deliberate act destroyed natural habitats
along the Persian Gulf and killed thousands of aquatic species, although it presented to be the
most effective form of protection for a country at war.
The role of politics and politicians themselves through media is vital in the issue of oil
spills. There is always controversy among individuals concerning the severity of a spill, which
causes conflict and confusion within a nation. Politicians are individuals of high power and many
people look up to the politicians that rule their country. Some citizens even follow their system
of beliefs and ideologies. After a mass environmental disaster, many politicians attempt to
distract the nation and present it as an issue of no concern. Individuals then do not understand the
severity of the issue and it is commonly completely disregarded.
A prominent current example of how influential global leaders are in swaying the
audiences opinion on an issue is President Donald Trump of the United States of America. Mr.
Trump believes that climate change is in fact a myth, disregarding all scientific evidence proving
its existence. He promotes this idea on social media, as well as at public speeches. Mr. Trump
uses one of the worlds most popular social media platforms, Twitter, to advocate his thoughts on
climate change to the public.
On Twitter he wrote, The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese
in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.67 There is reasoning behind this
statement. The United States largest competitor is China. Many trade experts even say, a trade
war between the worlds two biggest economies, the United States and China, is inevitable.68 As
there is a highly competitive relationship between the two nations, Mr. Trump exposed China
negatively in the media, where the tweet would be seen by citizens all over the world. He wishes
67Trump, Donald J. "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make
U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." Twitter. Twitter, 06 Nov. 2012. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
68News, VOA. "Experts: US-China Relationship Pivotal in 2017." VOA. VOA, 30 Jan. 2017. Web. 10 Apr.
2017.
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for China to take the United States responsibility in presenting a solution for global warming, as
he sees this is an issue present in the minds of many of his followers. Mr. Trump does not want
his followers distracted by issues such as global warming, as the environment is simply not a
large part of his campaign. He is a businessman who wishes to ensure economic prosperity and
development in the United States.
In another tweet, Mr. Trump said, This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit
has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps and our GW scientists are stuck in
ice.69 The Presidents logic behind this unethical statement is in fact that scientists have proven
that in some areas seasonal temperatures have dropped. He has disregarded the scientific
evidence and research that proves that on a global scale, the atmospheric temperature is steadily
raising. In saying this, he is stating the truth somewhat accurately. Mr. Trumps main goal is
essentially to distract the nation from the issue of climate change, as he wishes to focus on other
issues of importance in his running as President of the United States.
Although there is logic behind everyones evil, many individuals from young adolescents,
to adults look up to people of political power and embrace politicians beliefs and views. In the
case of Donald Trump, this is extremely dangerous. The United States in an extremely powerful
nation of the world and are the one of the worlds biggest polluters. If citizens adapt to Trumps
ideology on the environment, this could be disastrous for the entire world. Donald Trumps view
on climate change suggests that he would not see an oil spill as an immense problem to the
United States, which is incredibly worrisome. Through this example, it is evident that politics
and politicians play a major role in this issue and the use of media to convey thoughts and
opinions on issues can influence the decisions made by individuals and corporations in a country.
69 Trump, Donald J. "This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop. Our planet is
freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice." Twitter. Twitter, 02 Jan. 2014. Web. 08
Mar. 2017.
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Case Study #1: Gulf of Mexico

Mexico is a largely diversified, Spanish-speaking nation located in North America.70 The
population surpasses 127 million people, with nearly nine million citizens living in its lively
capital, Mexico City.71 The infamous Rio Grande forms the border between the United States and
Mexico making it the twentieth longest river in the world.72 In regards to economy, Mexico has
the 15th largest economy in North America with an $18 900 GDP-per capita.73
On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig exploded 40 miles off the coast of
Louisiana, causing approximately 4.8 million barrels of oil to spill and contaminate the waters of
the Gulf of Mexico.74 The explosion resulted in the death of 11 oil rig workers, 17 injuries and
was ultimately considered to be the largest oil spill in the history of marine oil drilling
operations.75 Preceding the explosion, the Deepwater Horizon Rig sank two days later on April
22, 2010 and oil quickly discharged into the gulf, flooding out of the sea-floor oil gusher that
resulted from the massive explosion.76
The oil rig is owned by Transocean, which is a Swiss offshore drilling company.
However, it is leased by the company, BP (British Petroleum), an oil company located in the
Mississippi Canyon.77 BPs chief executive, Tony Hayward claimed, as a high representative of
70 Appendix II.
71"The World Factbook: MEXICO." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Jan. 2017. Web.
02 May 2017.
72Brand, Donald Dilworth, and Robert H. Schmidt. "Rio Grande." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia
Britannica, inc., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017.
73"The World Factbook: MEXICO." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Jan. 2017. Web.
02 May 2017.
74Pallardy, Richard. "Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica,
inc., 31 Mar. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
75"Deepwater Horizon BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 29 Mar. 2017. Web.
31 Mar. 2017.
76Frost, Emily. "Gulf Oil Spill." Ocean Portal | Smithsonian. Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, 05
Jan. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
inc., 31 Mar. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
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the BP company that, It is evident that a series of complex events, rather than a single mistake
or failure, led to the tragedy. Multiple parties, including BP, Halliburton and Transocean, were
involved.78 Many instalments authorized by BP preceding the accident were questionable and
their evident denial of insuring safety precautions ultimately led to the disaster. Weeks before the
explosion occurred, natural gas was flowing up the well onto the rig and activities occurring on
the rig were stopped in order to prevent an explosion.79 In order to resist the flow of natural gas
and to prevent structural damage, a Halliburton contractor installed a concrete core composed of
a new chemical cement, which had an extremely questionable mixture composition.80 ..Bea, an
expert with decades of experience in oil extraction engineering, said that when he saw the
formula for Halliburtons cement, he said Uh oh. Bea explained that the same chemicals they
added likely gave off too much heat, thus thawing gases lodged in the rocks from their methane
hydrate form and sending them up the bore and riser.81 Although the cement operation
performed by Hailburton was questioned by various experts, BP continued with the instalment.
The cement installation had already failed at a previously BP-owned rig located in the
Caspian Sea. This rig released oil in September 2008, just two years prior to the Deepwater
incident.82 The evidence of the BP-owned rig in the Caspian Sea releasing oil shows that both
cores installed by Halliburton were too weak to withstand pressure due to their concrete mixture
composition and ultimately should never have been installed. BP responded ignorantly in the
situation, failing to notify the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) of the
failure of the cement.83 By notifying IADC, Halliburton would have been knowledgable that the
78 "The eight failures that caused the Gulf oil spill." New Scientist. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
79
Eley, Tom. "World Socialist Web Site." What caused the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon? - World Socialist
Web Site. N.p., 14 May 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
80 Ibid.
81
82Palast, Greg. "BP Covered Up Blow-out Two Years Prior to Deadly Deepwater Horizon Spill." EcoWatch. N.p.,
27 June 2016. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
83Palast, Greg. "BP Covered Up Blow-out Two Years Prior to Deadly Deepwater Horizon Spill." EcoWatch. N.p.,
27 June 2016. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
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chemical composition of the compound was dangerous and the BP oil spill could have been
prevented.
In addition to failure of insuring the implemented cement structure was a safe and strong
instalment, another large mistake made by BP was the failed activation of the rigs blowout
preventer (BOP). It was proven that the two companies, Transocean and BP only tested the
blowout preventer as a whole, instead of its individual safety systems. Later analysis of the BOP
showed that there were two sets of faulty wiring and a dead battery.84 The BOP was designed to
close the channel through which oil was drawn although due to its malfunctioning, when the core
fractured, natural gas travelled up to the rigs platform and ignited.85
Many mistakes, including misinterpreted pressure tests, valve failures, inexistent gas
alarms, unstable cement, and the malfunctioning of blowout preventers ultimately led to the BP
oil spill in Mexico. It is claimed that this event was unforeseeable, although research proves that
if more safety precautions and preventative measures were taken, the outcome of the spill could
have been substantially different. In an article written very shortly after the explosion and sinking
of the rig, this claim is proven. Interviews with workers, information gathered by researchers
and testimony given to Congressional and Coast Guard hearings prove, however, that there was
in fact ample warning that a disaster was possible, even likely. But BP and its partners,
Transocean and Halliburton, disregarded these warnings.86
Both companies, BP and Transocean, as well as many governmental agencies responded

to the disaster by performing various operations, such as using chemical oil dispersants to
84 Washington, Associated Press in. "Investigation into 2010 BP oil spill finds failures, poor testing and ongoing
risks." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 05 June 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
inc., 31 Mar. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
86
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sufficiently emulsify the oil in the water.87 The use of dispersants is advantageous to some extent,
as it allows for easier metabolism for bacteria to consume the oil. Although the combination of
the oil and dispersants enters the food chain and is extremely harmful to marine life.88 During the
BP oil spill, the dispersants Corexit 9500A and Corexit 9527A were used, with approximately
1.84 million gallons of the dispersants applied to the water.89 This formulation of Corexit was
banned in 1998 in the United Kingdom, as laboratory tests found them harmful to marine life
that live along shores.90 To prove the harmfulness of Corexit, a 2012 study showed that the
combination of oil and the dispersant is fifty two times more toxic to microscopic animals (that
are at the base of all our food chains) than oil itself.91
In addition to the use of dispersants performed as a cleanup method, booms were used.
Booms are floating plastic, or metal barriers that slow the spread of oil and keep it contained.92
Skimmers, which are boats, as well as other similar devices were used to skim oil from the
surface of the sea after it was contained in a controllable area.93 These techniques, as well as in-
situ burning was particularly used in the case of the BP oil spill in Mexico. During in-situ
burning, the oil is corralled in a fire-proof boom and ignited. Although it is a source of pollution,
this technique is used in an effort to minimize the affects of oil spills on the environment, as oil
is a suffocating substance to species and is disastrous to corals. The removal of oil through this
burning technique has the potential to remove large amounts of oil from the sea surface to
ultimately prevent the affects oil has on the environment.94
Jan. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
88 Ibid.
89 "Gulf Disaster." Dispersants. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
90 Ibid.
Jan. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
92 "Spill Containment Methods." Spill Containment Methods. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
93 Ibid.
94 Itopf. "Response Techniques." ITOPF. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
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Various clean-up efforts and measures were taken in attempt to mitigate the affects of the
spill on aspects of the environment, human health and the economy. However, the oil continued
to spill at an estimated pace of 53 000 barrels every day and at one point 62 000 barrels daily, for
the course of 87 days.95
The affect of the oil spill on the environment and marine life was evident shortly
preceding the event. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
shows that dolphin deaths were above average following the spill and infant dolphins were found
dead at six times the average in January and February.96 The number of dolphin deaths a year
averaged to 63 prior to 2010 and in the seven months after the spill, it rose to 125.97 An estimated
number of 167 000 sea turtles were killed during the disaster and 8.3 billion oysters were killed
along coastal habitats.98
The spill had a large affect on industries such as tourism and fishing, contributing to more
than $700 million lost in fishing and tourism revenue.99 The spill cost the Gulf of Mexicos
commercial fishing industry $94.7 million to $1.6 billion and within the first eight months
preceding the disaster, 740 to 9315 jobs were affected.100
Not only was the spill disastrous to the economy in several areas surrounding the Gulf,
but the health of citizens and more importantly workers was affected. Only two months after the
95
"Oil spill dumped 4.9 million barrels into Gulf of Mexico, latest measure shows." The Washington Post. WP
Company, 03 Aug. 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
96
Guarino, Mark. "BP oil spill cleanup: US says the coast is nearly clear. Is it? ( Video)." The Christian Science
Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
Jan. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
98
Nwf. "How You Can Help Wildlife Impacted by the BP Oil Spill - National Wildlife Federation." How You Can
Help Wildlife Impacted by the BP Oil Spill - National Wildlife Federation. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
99 Amadeo, Kimberly. "BP Spent $56.4 Billion on Spill So Far." The Balance. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
100Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. "BP oil spill cost fishing industry at least $94.7 million in
2010." NOLA.com. N.p., 27 June 2016. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
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incident, 160 complaints were filed to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
regarding respiratory, eye and skin irritation from the spill.101 Not only were immediate short-
term affects seen, but many experts claimed that the spill would have long-term affects,
particularly on the mental health of individuals. Jimmy Guidry, a Louisiana State Mental Health
Officer claimed that, from a mental health perspective, people really dont know when
theyre getting back to work, they dont know how to provide for their family, they dont know if
the (oil clean-up) work they do choose to do will affect their health in the long-term. They dont
know when the lights going to show at the end of the tunnel.102 This statement clearly proves
that to this day, the 2010 BP oil spill has lasting negative affects on citizens.
Case Study #2: Kuwait

Kuwait is a small country located in the Middle East, along the coast of the the Persian
Gulf.103 It is surrounded by a variety of powerful nations such as, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran.
The population of the nation is 2.3 million people, with the majority of citizens speaking the
Arabic language. The nation has massive oil reserves that make it one of the worlds richest
countries per capita104 with a $71 300 GDP-per capita.105 This Middle East country holds ten
percent of the worlds proven oil reserves, making it a dominant contributor to the global oil
industry.106
Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait on August 2 of 1990, but it was not known that that only a
few months later the war would lead to one of the worst oil spills in history, having a
101Krisberg, Kim. "U.S. Gulf oil spill poses public health threat: Response targeting workers, residents, food and air
quality." The Nation's Health. N.p., 01 Aug. 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
102 Ibid.
103 Appendix III.
104 "Kuwait country profile." BBC News. BBC, 30 Apr. 2017. Web. 03 May 2017.
105"The World Factbook: KUWAIT." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Jan. 2017. Web.
03 May 2017.
106 "Asia/." World Atlas - Maps, Geography, travel. N.p., 07 Apr. 2017. Web. 03 May 2017.
Ceklic 31
transformative effect on the Middle East. Nearing the end of the Persian Gulf War, on January
19, 1991 approximately 10 million barrels of oil was poured into the Persian Gulf.107
The cause of Iraqs invasion was due to the increase in oil output in Kuwait, as well as
the decreasing oil prices in the nation. The surplus production of oil infuriated neighbouring,
competing nations such as Iraq, which in result led to the invasion in August.108 Iraq President,
Saddam Hussein, threatened that if he had to be evicted from Kuwait by force, then Kuwait
would be burned and this is exactly what happened.109 Approximately 600 oil wells were set to
fire, releasing crude oil that resulted in the creation of an oil slick extending roughly 25 miles
long and 10 miles wide.110
Many companies assisted in the effort to clean the spill, including the United Nations,
who allocated $3 billion of environmental reparations to Kuwait.111 Data was collected and a
plan of action was formed by the UN and international agencies such as, the International
Oceanographic Commission, World Health Organization and World Wildlife Fund in an effort to
protect the highly damaged ecological damage that resulted from the spill.112
A particular engineering and construction company, Bechtel came to the aid of Kuwait
and was extremely influential in aiding and restoring the war-torn country. Within the first six
months, Bechtel began a project named, Al-Awda", which is Arabic for The Return.113 The
107 Tutton, Mark. CNN. Cable News Network, 04 June 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
108
(www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. "Saddam Hussein, the Gulf War and the new Middle East | Middle East |
DW.COM | 02.08.2015." DW.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2017
109 "ICE Case Studies." ICE Cases: Gulf War Aftermath. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
110
"See how the Kuwait Oil Fields were Restored." Bechtel. Https://plus.google.com/ Bechtel/posts, 06 Dec. 2016.
Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
111
"Kuwait to clean up contamination of 1990 invasion." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 17 Jan. 2011. Web. 01 Apr.
2017.
112 Saenger, Peter. Cleaning up the Arabian Gulf: Aftermath of an oil spill. Rep. N.p.: Peter Saenger, 1994. Print.
113
Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
Ceklic 32
project worked with the Kuwait Oil Company in bringing 8500 workers and 200 000 tons of
equipment from various nations around the world.114 With the help of more than 200 lagoons, the
oil was dammed and skimming techniques were used to clear contaminants from the oil.115
Evidently, Bechtel played an influential role in the Kuwait crisis. It was estimated that it would
take up to five years to quell and restore the production of hydrocarbons, although with the
assistance of Bechtel, the burning oil wells were ceased in eight months and in twelve months,
oil production was restored to prewar capacity.116 The Vice President of the Saudi Meteorology
and Environmental Protection Administration, Dr. Nizar Tawfiq said, Betchel has proven time
and time again that they can really deliver when faced with a challenge.117
The assistance of various international organizations helped mitigate the effects of the oil
spill to a certain extent. Although, research has proven that there was severe environmental, as
well as economic damage preceding the spill. The oil slicks costed approximately $700 million
to clean up, as more than 800 miles of Kuwait and Saudi Arabian coastal waters were oiled.118
The burning of the wells alone released approximately 22Gg of sulphur dioxide, 18 Gg of soot,
and thousands of tonnes of oxides, causing massive air pollution that affected thousands of
migrating bird species.119 Science and research manager, Christophe Tournenq at WWF (World
Wildlife Fund) stated that researchers estimate 300 000 water birds were killed by the oil.120 The
spill caused animal death not only due to the air pollution caused by the ignited wells, but due to
the water pollution caused by the oil itself. Sidney Horenstein, director of environmental projects
at the American Museum of Natural History in New York said, There was massive kills of
114 Ibid.
115
Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
116 Ibid.
117
Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
119
Poonian, Chris. The effects of the 1991 Gulf War on the marine and coastal environment of the Arabian Gulf:
Impact, recovery, and future prospects . Rep. King's College, London: n.p., 2003. Print.
120 Tutton, Mark. CNN. Cable News Network, 04 June 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
Ceklic 33
plankton near the surface of the sea that are at the base of the food chain, so all life in the chain
will be affected.121 In fact, fifty to ninety percent of fauna, particularly crabs, amphipoda, and
molluscs were killed by the oil and it was estimated that 100 000 waders died as a result of the
spill.122
The flora and fauna of the surrounding regions suffered from the intentional spill along
with Kuwaits economy. As a nation dependant on the production of oil as a source of income,
Kuwait suffered for a few years following the spill due to the large amount of oil they lost. Oil
prices evidently rose from less than $20 a barrel, to over $30 a barrel in the oil industry.123 In
addition to the heavily dependant oil industry, the fishing industry in Kuwait began to collapse.
The toxic chemical present in the crude oil killed thousands of fish species. Kuwait suffered in
these industries and accumulated $40 million in external debt in order to finance the cost of
internal reconstruction.124 This was threatening to the nation, as prior to this incident that
occurred during the Gulf War, Kuwaits public debt was approximately $8 billion.125
As the invasion of Kuwait had a transformative affect on the economy of the nation, the
greatest concern at the time, after the oil wells were capped, was the collapsing economy. In fact,
One of the first policy decisions the government made on returning to Kuwait was to reduce
Kuwait's dependence on foreign labor in an effort to ensure that Kuwaitis would henceforth
remain a majority in their country. Kuwait prioritized the economic state of its nation, over the
health of citizens in the area, the environment and the lives of species living in the Persian Gulf.
121
"WAR IN THE GULF: The Environment; Oil Threatens Fishing and Water Supply." The New York Times. The
New York Times, 25 Jan. 1991. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
122
Linden, O., A. Jerneloev, and J. Egerup. "The Environmental Impacts of the Gulf War 1991." Welcome to IIASA
PURE. IR-04-019, 01 Apr. 2004. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
124
"The Economic and Environmental Impact of the Gulf War on Kuwait and the Persian Gulf." KUWAIT TED
Case. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
125 Ibid.
Ceklic 34
Instead of enforcing stricter rules and regulations on oil companies, the country simply
focused on rebuilding the oil industry. Although restoring oil operations was expensive, the
minister of oil planned to spend another $8 billion to $10 billion to repair damage, in addition to
the $1.5 billion Kuwait had already spent on putting out fires.126
Only two decades preceding the event has the state oil and gas operator, KOC (Kuwait
Oil Company) approached international consultants about master-managing a project to repair
environmental damage from the 1990-1991 Gulf War.127 Programme manager of the KNFP
(Kuwait National Focal Point), Redha al Hasa, brought urgency to the issue in 2007. However, it
was only recognized in 2011 when he called the environmental situation a nightmare.128 Over
time, after awareness slowly increased on the oil incident of the Gulf War in Kuwait, the United
Nations signed off a $3 billion rehabilitation package to Kuwait.129 Currently, the Kuwait Oil
Company is working with the Canadian Oil Recovery and Remediation Enterprises and the
National Cleaning Company of Kuwait to to bid on an estimated US $3.65 billion of
remediation projects it expects Kuwait to launch in the coming decade.130 Kuwait did not focus
on environmental repair directly preceding the Persian Gulf War, as the country was in a
crumbling economic state, making the economy the main priority of the time. However, the
nation is making a strong effort currently to assist the affected environment and aquatic life.
Case Study #3: Western Coast of Cornwall, England

England is a small country located in Europe with approximately 54 million
inhabitants.131 Its beautiful capital, London serves as the financial centre of Europe and is a
126 Kuwait - RECONSTRUCTION AFTER THE PERSIAN GULF WAR. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.
127 Carlisle, Tamsin. "Kuwait moves to clean up oil lakes." The National. N.p., 22 Dec. 2010. Web. 04 May 2017.
128 Ibid.
129 Carlisle, Tamsin. "Kuwait moves to clean up oil lakes." The National. N.p., 22 Dec. 2010. Web. 04 May 2017.
130 Ibid.
131"England Population 2017." England Population (2017) - World Population Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May
2017.
Appendix IV.
Ceklic 35
centre of innovation, particularly in popular culture.132 England is not only a highly

industrialized country, but it has the largest economy of all four countries of the United
Kingdom.133 The GDP-per capita is approximately $45 390 and the country continues to grow
stronger with its people and its flourishing economy.134
On March 18, 1967 the SS Torrey Canyon supertanker hit rocks off the coast of
Cornwall, spilling thousand of tonnes of crude oil into the English Channel.135 The 300-meter-
long supertanker was one of the first generation of supertankers. It was travelling from Kuwait to
a refinery in Wales, carrying a vast cargo of crude oil.136 With nearly 100 000 tonnes of oil
released, the Torrey Canyon incident remains to be the United Kingdoms worst environmental
accident.137
The Torrey Canyon accident was extremely detrimental to the marine life living along the
coast and in all surrounding areas that were effected by the spill. The incident killed an estimated
25 000 birds, 15 000 of which were seabirds.138 Species continued to die preceding the incident
and future populations of some species even took decades to recover.139 Although many species
suffered from the Torrey Canyon accident, the Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries said that
132 Thomas, William Harford, and Peter Kellner. "England." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica,
inc., 08 Dec. 2016. Web. 19 May 2017.
133 "England Economy." England Economy | Economy Watch. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2017.
134 "England - Profile." BBC News. BBC, 12 Dec. 2011. Web. 19 May 2017.
Cacciottolo, Bethan Bell & Mario. "Torrey Canyon oil spill: The day the sea turned black." BBC News. BBC, 17
135
Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.
Vaughan, Adam. "Torrey Canyon disaster the UK's worst-ever oil spill 50 years on." The Guardian. Guardian
136
News and Media, 18 Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.
137
Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

138 "Torrey Canyon." Torrey Canyon | Joye Research Group. N.p., 18 Mar. 1967. Web. 19 May 2017.
139
Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

Ceklic 36
the holiday industry and clean beaches were more important than the very small amount of
damage it anticipated to wildlife.140
As the coast of Cornwall is a tourism and fishing area, many individuals were
discouraged from visiting the area and consumers slowly began losing trust in the fishing
industry. By nightfall, an eight mile oil slick had already formed and the following day, the slick
had reached twenty miles.141 A researcher of the incident, Tony Soper said, The tidal edge of the
beaches in West Cornwall was simply covered by a thick carpet of black goo. It was a pretty
fearsome smell.142 This oil slick not only deterred visitors from this area of England, but had
disastrous affects on the fish inhabiting the coast. The highly contaminated waters made living
conditions for fish extremely unfavourable and difficult, which in turn affected the fishing
industry. Fishermen consistently caught fish that tasted strongly of petroleum, making them toxic
for ingestion and therefore illegal to sell in fishing markets.143 Many fish suffered abnormalities
and were discovered to have skin ulcerations, or tumors. In addition to fish abnormalities, the
reproduction cycle of several fish populations was effected due to the toxicity of the oil,
ultimately making fish scarce in the industry. Ultimately, following the disaster, the fishing
industry worked extremely hard to attempt to reassure consumers that had stopped their
involvement in the industry.144
Many cleaning efforts were made preceding the accident in an attempt to sufficiently
clean shorelines and the contaminated sea, although the heavy currents made it difficult to
contain the oil in one area. More than 2000 individuals including commanders, troops, sailors,
140
Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

142 Ibid.
143Bown, Jane. "Torrey Canyon oil spill 1967 - in pictures." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 20 Mar.
2017. Web. 19 May 2017.
144 Ibid.
Ceklic 37
police officers, council workers and fire fighters assisted in cleaning the spill.145 They were
provided with tools to clean up oil from many of the contaminated areas, particularly the
beaches.146 Some of the techniques used were insufficient as they only concealed the problem, or
caused more damage to the marine life. Examples of these insufficient cleanup activities include
the use of 3000 tonnes of chalk as a sinking agent, which allowed the oil particles to sink to the
sea floor, in addition to the use of nearly 10 000 tonnes of dispersants.147 In a study conducted
on the dispersants used during the Torrey Canyon spill, the insufficiency of the dispersant
cleanup method is proven. Areas where dispersants were not used were compared to areas where
the dispersants were deployed. It was determined that the areas where the dispersants were not
used recovered in two to three years and areas where they were used recovered after thirteen to
fourteen years.148 Environmentalists concluded that the cleanup methods used preceding the
Torrey Canyon accident were ultimately more detrimental than helpful and increased animal
casualties immensely.
Although the response to the oil spill conducted by the government and many
organizations was not as effective as it should have been, it was the best response the country
had at the time to tackle a spill of this size. The accident was a shock to the nation of England, as
the country had never encountered an incident of this severity before. David Bellamy, a Durham
University botany and ecology lecturer stated that, Many lessons were learnt and are still being
learnt. It was probably the first time that words like environment and conservation were voiced
on the media, later to become so commonplace.149 This remark by an environmentalist proves
145Bown, Jane. "Torrey Canyon oil spill 1967 - in pictures." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 20 Mar.
2017. Web. 19 May 2017.
146 Appendix V.
148
149

Ceklic 38
that the country was not prepared, nor expectant of an environmental disaster the size of the
Torrey Canyon spill.
As mentioned, England responded to the spill in 1967 somewhat unsuccessfully,

attempting to handle the problem with techniques such as excessive use of dispersants, which
only made the situation increasingly worse, as dispersants were extremely detrimental for the
environment and marine life. Companies were insufficiently educated and uninformed on oil
spills, making them completely unaware that many of their actions and cleanup methods were
more harmful than helpful. However, Stephen J Hawkins, a scientist at the Plymouth-based
Marine Biological Association, which studied the spills impact on wildlife and habitats makes
positive claims regarding the current status of the country.150 Hawkins says, The response is
much more appropriate now. Today people are better prepared. Then, people didnt know, they
were making it up as they went along.151 Currently, response teams carry out a training exercise
each year in a Guernsey quarry in England, where a quantity of the oil still remains.152
In conclusion, the Torrey Canyon oil spill not only had profound impacts on Englands
economy, but the environment and Earths species suffered consequences from the spill as well.
At the time, the nation was not educated on sufficient cleanup methods, although many years
later there has been increased knowledge and awareness on the topic of oil spills within the
country.
International Organizations
Oil spills have been a global issue since the beginning of the oil industry. As the oil
industry continues to develop and expand to virtually every nation on Earth, the risk of oil spills
becomes increasingly more common. Nations on Earth are highly dependent on one another, and
150 Ibid.
151

152 Ibid.
Ceklic 39
as we live in a co-existing world, organizations from all over the world assist in facing the
tremendous issue of oil spills.
Many researchers in the field believe that it is absolutely necessary to have international
aid through organizations that can assist a country when in need of assistance preceding a spill.
Jeffrey Short, a retired National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research chemist who
studied various global oil spills, including the 2010 BP Mexico disaster says chaos rules in
the aftermath of a spill. The enormous political pressure to do something routinely sacrifices any
duty to properly evaluate what kind of response might actually work over time. Industry says we
just want to clean it up, yet their demonstrative ability to clean it up sucks.153 As Short said,
preceding any oil disaster the country is in complete chaos and although the need to clean up the
disaster is advertised immensely, there must be adequate and proper response used. Jeffrey Short
believes that after oil spill disasters, it is absolutely crucial to seek international aid through
organizations, as it is crucial to work with surrounding nations, if it is to help your people and
nation from the disaster.
Many international organizations such as the International Oil Pollution Compensation

Fund (IOPC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Petroleum
Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) are proactive in dealing with oil
spills worldwide.
The IPIECA is a 25 year old, not for profit association that ultimately encourages
improvement in oil and gas industries. Its goal is to prevent spills caused by oil and gas
industries, as well as to develop a sufficient response in the case a spill occurs. One of the main
ways it accomplishes this goal is through its partnership with the International Maritime
Organization through the Global Industry, which tries to unite industries and the government in
an attempt to assist in being more prepared to response effectively and sufficiently to major oil
"Why We Pretend to Clean Up Oil Spills." Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, 12 July 2016. Web. 20
153
May 2017.
Ceklic 40
spills. 154 The International Maritime Organization has a long history of working with various
nations, including Canada to promote maritime safety and to protect the environment.155
In addition to IPIECA, the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC)

provides financial compensation for pollution caused by oil spills from tankers.156 This
international organization began preceding the spill from the Torrey Canyon that occurred in
1967 along the United Kingdom and French coastlines.157 When this spill occurred there was no
international agreement made regarding compensation in the event of a spill, making it difficult
to agree on liability. Since 1978, this fund has dealt with more than 100 oil spill incidents, paying
compensation to 68 of these.158 Since its establishment, the IOPC continues to be successful in
settling oil spill cases out of courts.
UNEP is an organization headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya that was established in 1972,

designed to provide guidance and coordinate environmental activities within the United Nations
system. This organization highly encourages participation to promote sustainable usage of many
of the worlds exquisite natural resources, such as oil.159 One of UNEPs most recent projects is
to conduct an assessment of the affects of oil contamination in Oginiland (Niger Delta) in the
Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is working with the Rivers State University of Science and
Technology, laboratories and Nigerian government officials to asses impacts of oil contamination
on aspects such as public health, the environment and the economy . Not only are they involved
in making a scientific assessment of these impacts, but they are providing sufficient options for
154 "About us." About us | IPIECA. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.
155 Government of Canada; Transport Canada; Safety and Security, Marine Safety. "Canada: Committed to the Goals
of the International Maritime Community- TP 14916 E (2011)." Government of Canada; Transport Canada; Safety
and Security, Marine Safety. N.p., 15 Dec. 2016. Web. 20 May 2017.
156 "Funds Overview." IOPC Funds. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.
157 Ibid.
158Itopf. "The cost of oil spills from tankers: An analysis of IOPC Fund incidents (1999)." ITOPF. N.p., n.d. Web.
04 May 2017.
159Mingst, Karen. "United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia
Britannica, inc., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.
Ceklic 41
remediation.160 UNEP hopes to not only clean up the contaminated regions in Nigeria, but to
create a task force of Ogni people to clean up the various devastated areas of the Niger Delta.161
Nnimmo Bassey, director of the Nigerian Health of Mother Earth Foundation and former chair of
Friends of the Earth international commented on UNEPs work and effort in Nigeria. She said,
We expect that a solid foundation will be established for the clean-up to not only start but be
followed through. It will not be a 100-metre dash; this is the start of a marathon.162 UNEPs
efforts in Nigeria are highly recognized and although it is a timely procedure and process, their
efforts will be beneficial to the nation in the near future.
It is crucial to work with nations and international organizations in the case of oil spill
disasters. Seeking aid may seem unfavourable to some governments, although it is an extremely
beneficial thing to do. There are various international organizations available to protect Earth
from spills, as well as to assist countries in the case of one. Organizations such as the
International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC), United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation
Association (IPIECA) all play key roles in prevention of oil spills and recovery in the event of
one.
Canadian Connection
Canada may not be seen as a large oil-producing nation, although it is the seventh largest
producer of crude oil in the world, giving oil spills the opportunity to occur.163 Oil production is
currently at an approximate 2.8 million barrels a day, although by 2025 it is expected to grow to
160 UNEP in Nigeria | Disasters and Conflicts. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.
Vidal, John. "Niger delta oil spill clean-up launched but could take quarter of a century." The Guardian.
161
Guardian News and Media, 01 June 2016. Web. 20 May 2017.

162 Ibid.
163 "Major Oil Spill: Is Canada Next?" Reader's Digest. N.p., 13 June 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
Ceklic 42
4.3 million barrels a day.164 With this planned rate of growth in the petroleum industry, the
chances of oil spills to occur is only going to increase.
The province of Alberta has the third largest oil reserves in the world after the countries
of Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, with total oil sand production reaching 2.3 million barrels per
day.165 Some of the largest and most disastrous oil spills have occurred in this oil rich province as
it averages at two crude oil spills everyday for the past 37 years, making a total of 28 666
spills.166
On June 7, 2012 one of Canadas largest oil spills occurred, releasing nearly half a
million (461 000) litres of oil into the Red Deer River. The spill was said to have been caused by
failure of routine inspections of the pipeline and ignorance of several government warnings by
the company, Plains Midstream. The company continues to disregard and deny these claims
stating that the spill would not have a large impact on the surrounding communities. In a news
release the company said, Light sour crude oil has a strong petroleum odour but this odour does
not pose a health or safety risk to the public. Not only did this spill have disastrous effects on
the First Nations community surrounding it, as well as the environment, but a similar spill had
happened a year before by the same company in Peace River, Alberta. This spill was still being
addressed when the Red Deer River spill occurred, proving Plains Midstreams irresponsibility
as an oil producing company.167
Although the company was eventually charged with two counts of violating
environmental laws in June of 2014, and fined $1.3 million after pleading guilty, governmental
164 Ibid.
165 Alberta, Government Of. "Facts and Statistics." Alberta Energy: Facts and Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr.
2017.
166
Young, Leslie. "Crude Awakening: 37 years of oil spills in Alberta." Global News. N.p., 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 10
Apr. 2017.
167
Press, The Canadian. "Another Oil Spill In Alberta." The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 08 Aug. 2012.
Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
Ceklic 43
officials and environmentalists continue to advocate this occurring issue in the province.168
Premier Alison Redford stated at a conference that, "It's my expectation that the minister of
environment and the minister of energy, as well as the (Energy Resources Conservation Board),
will have to review those investigations once they're completed to determine the cause of this
incident and then to take whatever steps might need to be taken in order to prevent this in the
future.169 Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also widely acknowledged this issue saying that
changes must be made to existing laws.170
Although spills do occur in Canada, the nation continues to play a role in protecting and
managing clean-up efforts of marine and freshwater elements through agencies and programs
such as The Canadian Coast Guard and the Environmental Response Program. The Canadian
Coast Guards main responsibilities are to ensure maritime safety and protect marine and
freshwater environments. Its Environmental Response Program is dedicated to ensuring that
there is a level of preparedness and response to any ship-source pollution incidents, including oil
spills in waters that are under Canadian jurisdiction. By doing this, their goal is to minimize the
impact marine pollution has on the environment, public safety and the economy. When any act of
marine pollution occurs, the Canadian Coast Guards responsibility is to advise the polluter of its
responsibilities regarding the cleanup of the incident and to play the role as a Federal Monitoring
Officer. 171
Canada is not only an influential global contributor to the prominent oil spill issue, as
various spills occur every year in the nation, but it an influential global leader, as the country has
programs, organizations, and resources to counteract this issue.
168
News, CBC. "5 major Alberta pipeline oil spills in recent history." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 11 Aug. 2015.
Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
169
Press, The Canadian. "Another Oil Spill In Alberta." The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 08 Aug. 2012.
Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
170 Ibid.
171
Government of Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. "Environmental Response - Home." Government of
Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. N.p., 23 Jan. 2017. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
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Solutions
There are many possible solutions available to address the issue of oil spills that continue
to happen every day all across the world. I believe that there are various solutions that would be
influential in preventing global oil industries from continuing to pollute the planet. The main
solutions are certainly stronger regulations enforced by the government on oil corporations and
an increase in the severity of the consequences when a spill occurs.
As oil spills have extremely serious impacts on the Earth, a nations economy and people,
I strongly believe that there should be stronger rules and regulations enforced by the government.
As previously mentioned, it is evident that the role of control is a key factor in this global issue,
as corporations have a high degree of power in the oil industry. Large corporations in fact use
money to control rules and regulations that have been imposed by the government of a nation.
Author, Bill Maher once wrote, New Rule: Oil companies must stop with the advertisements
implying they're friends of the environment. "At Exxon Mobil, we care about a thriving
wildlife." Please--the only thing an oil executive has in common with a seagull is they'd both
steal french fries from a baby.172 As seen through Mahers words, the oil industry is an
extremely manipulative, deceiving and controlling sector. Oil companies across the world, such
as Exxon Mobil claim that they do care about the effects an oil spill has. However, that is an
image they only wish to sustain in order to please an audience focused on sustainability.
Ultimately, the main priority of the oil industry is always to focus on continuous production,
import and exportation to sustain and maintain a profit. The environment is truly of minor
significance to an oil company.
A prominent example of the mindset of a powerful oil company is the case of the BP Oil
Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. There were many indicators present at the rig that should have
convinced the company to stop all activities and operations on the rig, although they ignored all
indicators that foreshadowed absolute chaos. Even preceding the spill, the company viciously
and repetitively attempted to mitigate the negative portrayal of the effects of the spill on media.
172 "Quotes About Oil Industry." (7 quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2017.
Ceklic 45
BP was caught manipulating photographs of the spill and continuously defend themselves after
the highly preventable disaster.173 If the government imposed stricter rules on the British
Petroleum company, they could have prevented one of the largest environmental disasters to
have ever occurred.
I strongly believe that an important solution to the issue is increasing the severity of the
consequences inflicted upon a company preceding a spill. Although, I believe one of the most
effective ways of doing so is indirectly, through forms of media. By exposing a companys spill
on social media, the company will automatically take a stronger course of action in cleaning up
the spill quicker so that they do not lose their trust as an oil company and possibly run the risk of
going out of business. Oil spills have a long term affect on every living thing in the area. A
professor of petroleum and natural gas economics at the University of Wyoming testified against
BP preceding the Gulf accident in the federal court.174 He said, There arent many big spills,
but when they happen the effects generally persist for many, many, many years, and often for
more than a decade. Its incredibly naive to think everything is just fine.175 It is evident that
inhabitants in the area of an oil spill become infuriated with the oil company, as a spill can have
profound impacts on any individuals life, job and family.
It is crucial for companies that cause these disasters to be exposed to the rest of the world
in order to prevent a similar accident from occurring again. If the media fails to advertise a spill,
the severity of it will not be recognized by the rest of the world, and might not even be known to
exist. So many oil spills are not filed and corporations find a way to conceal the spill, as they
consider it to be minor. Many companies also try to mitigate the seriousness of the spill, such as
in the case of Plains Midstream in Alberta and British Petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico. By
173Hough, Andrew. "BP admits it 'Photoshopped' official images as oil spill 'cut and paste' row escalates." The
Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 22 July 2010. Web. 21 May 2017.
Moskowitz, Peter. "Louisiana five years after BP oil spill: 'It's not going back to normal no time soon'" The
174
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 18 Apr. 2015. Web. 21 May 2017.
175 Ibid.
Ceklic 46
publicizing oil spills, nations far away from the one effected by the spill can be aware of this
issue and assist in the cleanup effort in any way possible.
In the case of the BP Oil Spill in Mexico in 2010, fortunately the spill was publicized to a
relatively large extent all over the world. An example of the spills positive advertisement is the
assistance of the detergent company, Dawn. Dawn began a large promotional fundraiser for
wildlife rescue efforts when the spill occurred. Dawns efforts were highly recognized by more
than 140 000 Facebook fans, allowing it to play an influential role in helping the wildlife that
suffered during the spill.176 This company helped save thousands of animals from the suffocating
slick of oil that contaminated the Gulf and will always be recognized for its assistance in that
particular environmental crisis.
Oil spills are a global problem that must be addressed effectively and sufficiently. There
have been many solutions presented in the past when a disaster of this kind occurs, although
there is always hope for a new, more effective solution.. If the media exposes oil spills to a larger
extent, making the rest of the world aware of its severity, the worlds nations can unite and
everyone can help in some way to deal sufficiently with the problem. The worlds oceans are
extremely precious elements of the Earth that mankind cannot possibly live without. With each
new oil spill, the Earths oceans become increasingly more polluted and the species that are
crucial players in the interconnected food chain become increasingly more endangered. In the
mix of lust for profit and absolute ignorance, mankind must take a step back and evaluate the
consequences of their actions. Environmentalist and author, Sylvia Earl once said, I hope for
your help to explore and protect the wild ocean in ways that will restore the health and, in doing
so, secure hope for mankind. Health to the ocean means health to us.
176
Neff., Jack. "Dawn's Wildlife Rescue Efforts Shine in Gulf Coast Oil Spill." Ad Age. N.p., 04 May 2010. Web. 10
Apr. 2017.
Ceklic 47
Appendix
Appendix I
Graphical representation comparing oil production and consumption by region.
Appendix II
Ceklic 48
Mexico, Central America.
Appendix III
Kuwait, Asia.
Appendix IV
Coast of Cornwall, England.

Ceklic 49
Appendix V
Volunteers using cans filled with dispersants in an attempt to get rid of the oil on the beach at Marzion, Cornwall.
Ceklic 50
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Ceklic 1

As technology becomes increasingly more advanced, the probability of an oil spill to

23 "Torrey Canyon." NOAA | IncidentNews. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

Case Study #1: Gulf of Mexico

Both companies, BP and Transocean, as well as many governmental agencies responded

Case Study #2: Kuwait

Case Study #3: Western Coast of Cornwall, England

centre of innovation, particularly in popular culture.132 England is not only a highly

Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

News and Media, 18 Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

News and Media, 18 Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

News and Media, 18 Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.

As mentioned, England responded to the spill in 1967 somewhat unsuccessfully,

News and Media, 19 Mar. 2017. Web. 03 May 2017.

Many international organizations such as the International Oil Pollution Compensation

In addition to IPIECA, the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC)

UNEP is an organization headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya that was established in 1972,

Guardian News and Media, 01 June 2016. Web. 20 May 2017.

Graphical representation comparing oil production and consumption by region.

Mexico, Central America.

Coast of Cornwall, England.

"Funds Overview." IOPC Funds. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

"Gulf Disaster." Dispersants. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.

Itopf. "Response Techniques." ITOPF. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.

"Oil." Oil. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.

"Oil Types." Oil Types. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.

Rediscovering Church." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.

"Sylvia Earle Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 21 May 2017.

"Torrey Canyon." NOAA | IncidentNews. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

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