We have all been saddened by the environmental disaster that is unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico due to the massive amount of oil that
has leaked from BP’s offshore well following the destruction of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in April. Some experts predict
that the effects of the leak will be felt for decades.
It is very easy to place the blame for this tragedy squarely
on the shoulders of BP and the associated companies that were involved in the drilling operations. It is also easy to incriminate
the regulatory agencies that had jurisdiction over BP’s activities. However, there is another group, which, on a fundamental
level, is as much to blame as anyone else. I am a member of that group and it is called humanity.
Worldwide, we currently
consume approximately 85 million barrels of oil per day (which equates to almost 1,000 barrels per second). If we were to actually
fill 85 million barrels with oil and stand them upright so they were touching each other, they would form a line long enough to more
than circumscribe the globe at the equator.
So, what was BP doing in the Gulf of Mexico in the first place? The answer:
Trying to discover new sources of oil to meet world demand. Now if the explosion had never occurred aboard the Deepwater Horizon
and oil had never leaked into the Gulf of Mexico, could I logically absolve myself of any feelings of blame or guilt over my personal
consumption of oil? Perhaps, but only if I decided to differentiate between the catastrophic consequences of a major oil spill
and the effects (for example, climate change and air pollution) of continuously consuming fossil fuels.
In reality, both the oil spill and our emissions due to oil consumption are expressions of the detrimental effects of our demand for
fossil fuels. However, in view of the ever increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, it is likely that the latter
expression – our emissions due to oil consumption – is going to have a much greater global impact than a single oil spill, tragic
though it is.
Current measurements indicate that the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is now approaching 390 parts
per million compared to a concentration of 280 parts per million at the beginning of the industrial revolution. I will not elaborate
on the trends and consequences that are being documented and predicted by the mainstream scientific community other than to say that
it gives me more than sufficient reason for concern.
In conclusion, I believe we all have to consider our relationship with
oil. It remains a remarkable substance and has enabled many nations to develop in a way that would not otherwise have been possible. But, we have to recognize that our consumption of, and reliance on, oil comes with a cost which it appears is now coming due.
Note: To find out how more than fifty residents of Stratford are reducing their carbon footprint, go to www.ecopei.ca
and download the Stratford in Action resource book.
Rod Dempsey of Charlottetown is a Board member of the Environmental
Coalition of Prince Edward Island
