John Hocevar, Oceans Campaign Director, Greenpeace USA, talks to B&E’s steven philip warner about the damage done and the consequences thereof of the most recent BP Oil spill holocaust
B&E: The most recent BP oil leak disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to lead to great ecological disbalances. What are you estimates of the damage?
John Hocevar (JH): The impacts of the BP Horizon disaster on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and coastal communities are going to be felt for decades. It was terrible seeing oiled birds, dolphins swimming through oily water, and tens of thousands of dead hermit crabs. Of perhaps even greater concern is the impact on habitat, which will have long-lasting effects. Mangroves and grasses that have been covered in oil will die, and many low lying islands will wash away completely once the vegetation that holds them together disappears. Some of the islands which will be lost include some of the most important bird rookeries in the Gulf. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. No one seems to know for sure how much oil has been spilled, but the estimates keep increasing. Some scientists are now saying that the equivalent of two Valdez spills is gushing into the Gulf right now, per week. So far, most of the oil has remained below the surface, offshore, and out of sight – and so have the impacts to marine life.
B&E: The Obama administration is acting first hand to take charge of this situation that already looks beyond control. It has been estimated by Credit Suisse that the cost of the clean up act can touch upto $49 billion in the four years to follow. Even BP is taking huge steps to accelerate its clean up acts. How far do you think will the mission be successful?
JH: The effort to clean up or mitigate the impacts of this disaster is considerable, but has already proven insufficient to protect sensitive areas. The oil has entered the wetlands, where it will be impossible to clean. Even under the best of circumstances, at most 15-20% of the oil can be recovered. In this case, I would be surprised if they could recover more than 5%. The harsh truth is that the only way to avoid disasters like this is to prevent offshore drilling from happening in the first place.
B&E: So you think BP is the culprit in the spotlight or is it Tony Hayward who is the criminal in the crowd? Or are we to condemn the whole concept of deepwater drilling?
JH: It is not a question of BP or Tony Hayward being a particularly bad apple, or even of deepwater drilling being much more dangerous than shallow drilling. Many big oil companies have had major accidents in the past under various circumstances, and more recent blowouts have occurred in shallow water than deep. Part of the problem with assessing what the spill is doing to Gulf species has been a lack of transparency by those doing the assessing. BP has hired contractors to test dead animals, but what we’ve seen from them so far has been a bit dubious. When contractors tell the media that the number of dead dolphins is no cause for alarm, or that there is no link to the spill, it doesn’t exactly instill confidence.
B&E: The most recent BP oil leak disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to lead to great ecological disbalances. What are you estimates of the damage?
John Hocevar (JH): The impacts of the BP Horizon disaster on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and coastal communities are going to be felt for decades. It was terrible seeing oiled birds, dolphins swimming through oily water, and tens of thousands of dead hermit crabs. Of perhaps even greater concern is the impact on habitat, which will have long-lasting effects. Mangroves and grasses that have been covered in oil will die, and many low lying islands will wash away completely once the vegetation that holds them together disappears. Some of the islands which will be lost include some of the most important bird rookeries in the Gulf. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. No one seems to know for sure how much oil has been spilled, but the estimates keep increasing. Some scientists are now saying that the equivalent of two Valdez spills is gushing into the Gulf right now, per week. So far, most of the oil has remained below the surface, offshore, and out of sight – and so have the impacts to marine life.
B&E: The Obama administration is acting first hand to take charge of this situation that already looks beyond control. It has been estimated by Credit Suisse that the cost of the clean up act can touch upto $49 billion in the four years to follow. Even BP is taking huge steps to accelerate its clean up acts. How far do you think will the mission be successful?
JH: The effort to clean up or mitigate the impacts of this disaster is considerable, but has already proven insufficient to protect sensitive areas. The oil has entered the wetlands, where it will be impossible to clean. Even under the best of circumstances, at most 15-20% of the oil can be recovered. In this case, I would be surprised if they could recover more than 5%. The harsh truth is that the only way to avoid disasters like this is to prevent offshore drilling from happening in the first place.
B&E: So you think BP is the culprit in the spotlight or is it Tony Hayward who is the criminal in the crowd? Or are we to condemn the whole concept of deepwater drilling?
JH: It is not a question of BP or Tony Hayward being a particularly bad apple, or even of deepwater drilling being much more dangerous than shallow drilling. Many big oil companies have had major accidents in the past under various circumstances, and more recent blowouts have occurred in shallow water than deep. Part of the problem with assessing what the spill is doing to Gulf species has been a lack of transparency by those doing the assessing. BP has hired contractors to test dead animals, but what we’ve seen from them so far has been a bit dubious. When contractors tell the media that the number of dead dolphins is no cause for alarm, or that there is no link to the spill, it doesn’t exactly instill confidence.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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