In
Thailand, a very recent oil spill caused evacuations of one of its beaches,
which is a prime tourism and fishing spot. Not only will this accident damage
the environment, but it will also damage Thailand's economy. Roughly 50,000
liters worth of crude oil leaked from an offshore pipeline off the island of
Koh Samet on Sunday, which led the government to evacuate tourists from the
oil-blackened island. To try and clear up the mess, dispersant was used which
causes the oil to sink to the bottom of the ocean, which may damage marine life
and will have a long-term effect on the environment. It is also suspected the
company responsible for the oil spill lied about the amount that leaked, and
75,000 to 100,000 liters of crude oil may have actually spilled into the water.
This
is a terrible tragedy, and to stop things like this happening permanently,
humans must stop using oil as fuel and move toward cleaner alternatives, like
solar and wind power. For now, though, Thailand must clean up its oil spill,
and even ask for help from other countries if needed.
Not
too much is stopping humans from moving toward cleaner fuel sources, but most predominately,
the issue is money. National governments need to realize that putting money
into the initiative for cleaner fuel sources will only benefit the entire
planet and all of the species living on it.
This
incident resembles what happened a few years ago in the Gulf of Mexico, and
Thailand should follow our example and clean everything up the right way to
prevent a lasting effect of the oil on marine life. We need to move to cleaner
sources of energy in order to protect the planet and us.
A tragedy such as this oil spill has a major impact not only upon the environment but economies of countries too. Like you said River, "...humans must stop using oil as fuel and move toward cleaner alternatives...". An oil spill as large as the one in Thailand will have long lasting effects that will damage the economy and the local coastline. In order to prevent such disasters from occurring in the future alternative energy sources must be implemented. Using more efficient technology is not the only solution. Stricter guidelines and laws could be put into place to try to increase the chances of an event such as the oil spill in Thailand from happening.
ReplyDeleteToday we have problems all over the country and this is just one of them i feel strongly about. It is a hard thing like River said to just be able to move out of the area so the people are in a cleaner environment, but money also comes into play. Money doesn’t just grow on trees so that is a problem. Stopping oil spills is not easy but our technology is up to date and we could find a way to use it so it prevents the spills. Thailand will move to cleaner areas and they will have to find a way to make it better to start preventing the spill ever happening again. That meaning first step to clean the spill up in Thailand and make sure of no other spills contaminating the area.
ReplyDeleteAn oil spill like this one is such a tragedy, especially for a fragile economy like Thailand's where things like the coastline mean a lot for national income. This is an excellent example of an environmental disaster being able to provide enough incentive to move toward a cleaner energy source, although the main barrier in Thailand is the lack of funds and development. In countries such as this, there is no infastructure or money to implement technologies such as wind and solar, and even if there were the governments would utilize it to develop their country before they try to clean the environment. Therefore, it is up to western nations like the United States to move away from oil and foreign fossil fuels and into newer, cleaner, and safer markets.
ReplyDelete