Soiling one’s own nest

The greatest single environmental crisis in its history has struck the United States.

Millions of gallons of crude oil have flowed into the Gulf of Mexico from an uncapped British Petroleum wellhead a mile under the ocean’s surface.

Millions more gallons are likely to continue to flow before the well is capped and the free flowing oil is contained.

The damage to the region is already immense. The pristine gulf waters are polluted, both on the surface and under it, to an extent that few are able to even predict what the long term impact will be.

Much of the pollution is still visible. Great oil slicks sully the ocean. Gobs of tar blacken the gulf coast. Dead and dying birds, fish, turtles and crustaceans litter the beaches.

This is just the visible destruction.

Many scientists claim that the effects of the spill will be with us for generations and predict a devastating and long-term impact on the food chain and the viability of many species.

Ultimately, the disaster may be felt around the world in how the oceans are used to sustain human life.

This is just the environmental and biological aspect of the spill.

Politically and economically, the spill will have lasting effect, too. The British feel that America is turning the disaster into an international campaign against them. Politicians are casting blame and well turned phrases for their own benefit. Other representatives of the oil industry, recently stated before Congress that they would never have been responsible for such a disaster, being safer, wiser and more prepared. Government agencies are being restructured to better police the industry. The gulf coast economies are facing both temporary and long-term difficulties.

President Obama, speaking Tuesday night, promised to keep British Petroleum’s feet to the fire. He also wants to use the disaster as a stepping stone for environmental policy changes.

Naturally, there are opposing sides. The science, the politics, the solutions, the reasons, the response and the impact of the disaster are being debated.

One thing cannot be debated: We are harming ourselves. Humans are unique in many ways compared to other species. Least of all, we are one of the few that soils its own nest.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher