An estimated 50 000 barrels of oil per day are currently flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. An estimated 100 000 barrels of oil is currently poisoning the Niger Delta (1). For your information one barrel of oil is equivalent to 158.9873 litres of crude. That means the Gulf of Mexico has 7, 949, 365 litres of oil floating on the surface taking up an area about the size of Scotland while the Nigel Delta from a single leak was soaked in 15, 898, 730 litres for each day until that rupture was mended, an operation that took a week. Sadly for the people living in the Niger Delta this is just one of many incidents they suffer. Almost sixteen million litres of oil a day! In one leak! That one day loss is enough to drive a mini cooper around the earth 26 times, drive off to the moon for the weekend make it all the way back home and still have enough fuel left over to commute to work for the rest of the year if you assume crude oil is the equivalent of what goes in the petrol tank. How many leaks have they had in the past year? How much gas is flared each day? Hardly the sign of an efficient, well-run industry is it?
These ecological disasters also present a major problem for the health. I’m sure you are aware of the effects of crude oil on human health, not only during the days following exposure but also long term health problems (2). Indeed, there are rumours that those working to clean up the Gulf of Mexico are having difficulty in accessing suitable respirators (3, 4). I dread to imagine the damage to health that will be found in the Niger Delta.
These ecological disasters also present a major problem for the health. I’m sure you are aware of the effects of crude oil on human health, not only during the days following exposure but also long term health problems (2). Indeed, there are rumours that those working to clean up the Gulf of Mexico are having difficulty in accessing suitable respirators (3, 4). I dread to imagine the damage to health that will be found in the Niger Delta.
A £50 million fine on BP or any other organisation involved in the extractive industries for not adhering to any environmental or work-related legislation is no more than a business cost. They could drop that in the street and not notice. A £50 000 million fine would be more effective as a deterrent. That, combined with long prison sentences for responsible directors would be exceptionally constructive not only for the global population, but for future generations. No organisation should be allowed to operate and put at risk not only the waters of the Gulf of Mexico but international waters too. Regardless of US regulation, BP could simply have followed best practice. Allegations are now being made that BP did not do so (6). Just how bad, just how much damage will we wait for before we decide to assess these corporate failures and negligence as real crimes against humanity? I’m not concerned about where these disasters happen. The fact is they do and they are. We need to have international responsibility and enforcement. We need it now.
I would like to see the UK government establishing strong legislation that would hold extractive industries liable for the environmental destruction they inflict. Attempts at clean-up and repair are not enough. They must be held liable for the costs incurred as a result of extractive industries by the local communities. Significant fines must be imposed on those industries that result in damage to human and environment health or work within areas where human rights abuses are rife. Surely the human rights of those living in the Niger delta are as important as any European? Surely the human rights of those Congolese miners are as worthy of yours. Yet they are among the most insecure communities in the world. We would not tolerate such a toxic and health-insecure environment.
Why are we allowing a British company to abuse so many communities and the Gulf of Mexico? Why are we dealing with companies that inflict such harm in the Niger Delta? The headquarters of Shell are in the Netherlands. Chevron, Exxon-Mobil and Texaco-Chevron are American, while Total is French. When will our governments and our political leaders stand up and remind these organisations that the world, this beautiful planet belongs to people, to all of us, rather than corporations? When will our governments and political leaders find the backbone to close down companies, our companies that pose such a clear danger to millions of people and to the global environment? When will our government and political leaders find the backbone to refuse such companies access to our markets? Because some things are simply far more important than revenue sources.
1. http://www.commodities-now.com/news/power-and-energy/2649-africas-oil-spills-are-far-from-us-media-glare.html
You can refer to academic journals for scientific data. I include a quick-to-read-article here for simplicity.
4. http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/27/coast_guard_grounds_ships_involved_in
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