The disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been capped and the great hope is that the extensive pollution can be contained with a minimum of environmental damage.
Some of the world’s most pristine natural wetlands such as the3 Florida everglades have been under threat.
Despite calls from Big Oil for a resumption of deep sea oil drilling the American federal government under the measured leadership of US President Obama has held firm and preventing more such drilling and another possible spill in the near term. On the surface at least the slick is fast disappearing and there is a greater sense of hope for the future.
No one really knows what the long term effects will be of this massive outflow of toxic material including dispersants, as well as ongoing oxygen depletion but history tells us that the Exxon Valdez oil spill 20 years ago in Alaska has left traces of pollution to this day. An improvement in clean up technology and oil disaster mitigation is one area that needs attention. A moratorium on future deep sea drilling should be linked to legislated new guidelines in the technology and its proper management.
