I wrote a cause and effect essay on the BP Oil Spill. Here it is.
On April 20, 2010, there was an explosion on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, not far from the Mississippi Delta. The explosion resulted in the deaths of 11 people and the opening of an oil gusher 10,000 feet below sea level. The oil company BP was vastly responsible for this spill, as it allowed for the platform to remain in use despite the fact that the platform didn't meet certain safety criteria. Despite BP's various attempts to cap the gusher, the oil continues to flow out, at the rate of about 30,000 barrels per day at the time of writing. With no end in sight to the spill, many people are starting to wonder what its long-term effects will be. I believe that this marée noire, as the French call it, will result in a global environmental holocaust, the downfall of BP, and a catalyzed interest in alternative energy.
While relatively contained at first, the oil is now spreading quickly across the coast of Florida. The once beautiful tropical waters of the peninsula are quickly turning into a brown wasteland. Not only does this have the potential to ravage the tourism industry of the region, it also has the potential to ravage the wildlife of the region. The spreading crude could make extinct thousands of species who rely on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico as part of their ecosystem. Large quantities of fish and amphibians could die off from the oil getting into their gills, and multiple varieties of birds could die off from not having any fish to eat. These three types of animals comprise half of the types of animals in existence. If the oil manages to work its way into the Gulf Stream, it could spread its wrath all across the planet, wreaking pure havoc on the food chain as we know it. This deconstruction of the chain would eventually reach humans, and millions upon millions of people would go hungry, in addition to the ones who are already dying from hunger. This, to me, is the most salient effect of the spill, and the one that will have the most dire consequences.
A more positive result from this spill would be the destruction of BP. Their ineffective solutions and falsifyed reports about the amount of oil spilling out exemplify the irresponsible, arrogant, and clueless nature of the company in this state-of-emergency situation. Many people, as a result of BP's poor response to the situation, are choosing to boycott the company, refusing to buy oil from them and holding nationwide protests. Facebook pages advocating the elimination of offshore drilling have risen in number rapidly in response to the spill. Millions of members have joined such groups as "1,000,000 Strong Against Offshore Drilling" and "Boycott BP". All of this protest and anti-BP sentiment is quickly accumulating into what could be BP's last stand: bankruptcy. While the death of the company would result in the loss of thousands of jobs, it would also be an appropriate end to the company. They are at fault for a gigantic disaster, so they should, in my opinion, not have the right to be in operations anymore.
BP's bankruptcy would be a momentous step in the push for alternative energy. I wrote this essay with the intent of opening up peoples' minds about the corrupt nature of oil companies. For years upon years, they have exploited the modern worlds' addiction to oil, and have profited in what is now a multi-trillion dollar industry. The addiction has become so strong that some are concerned over what will become of society once we run out of oil. What people need to realize is that there are alternatives to substances that can be used to make products, and that there are alternatives to the methods through which these substances are produced. Recycled plastic, recycled fiber, wood, metals, and glass are just some alternatives to freshly-made plastic. Solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, hydroelectric energy, and nuclear energy are all alternatives to fossil fuel energy. The only problem that is keeping these sources from being mass produced is the monopolization of the energy industry on behalf of the oil companies.
This is the effect that I hope will come out of this disaster over all others: that people will finally acknowledge the existence of alternatives, and will be finally willing to pursue these alternatives instead of obliviously running our planet into the ground due to the greed of oil companies.
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