Suzuki weighs in on BP disaster

BP will be cleaning up its mess for a long, long time

The explosion on BP’s  Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico and subsequent uncontrolled release of millions of litres of oil a day is a monumental disaster. But why are we surprised?

Over the years, numerous major spills have occurred on land, from drilling platforms at sea, and after collisions and breakups of ships.
A blow-out at the offshore Ekofisk Bravo platform in 1977 released about 30 million litres into the North Sea in 1977, and the Amoco Cadiz dumped 260 million litres off France in 1978.

Closer to home, in 1988, the Odyssey dumped 159 million litres off St. John’s, Newfoundland. And in 1989, the Exxon Valdez spilled over 40 million litres into the pristine waters of Prince William Sound off the Alaska coast.

Today, tens of thousands of wells operate on land and at sea, massive supertankers move huge quantities across oceans, and pipelines and trucks transport oil over land. Stuff happens: earthquakes, accidents, storms, tides, icebergs, and of course, human error.

What can we learn from the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico? First, there’s no such thing as a “foolproof” technology because, as the computer Hal in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey knew, the biggest threat to a mission is a fallible, imperfect human being. We should also learn that relying so heavily on non-renewable fossil fuels for most of our energy needs carries numerous risks, from devastating spills to catastrophic climate change.

Human beings are fallible, and in B.C., our coast is marked by numerous rocks and reefs. That’s why coastal First Nations are unanimous in their opposition to the proposed Enbridge pipeline to transport oil from the Alberta tar sands to the west coast where it would be loaded onto ships.

The possibility of a tanker accident is too great a risk to their communities and fishing grounds.
Supertankers are huge, up to 300 metres in length, and can haul enough energy to fuel a small city. It takes three kilometres and 14 minutes for such a vessel going at full speed to stop and reverse direction.

Corporations don’t focus enough on prevention nor do they consider victims of their accidents a high priority. The Exxon Valdez spill led to litigation by several citizens’ groups, including fishers, tour guides, and First Nations. The courts awarded money, but the company appealed numerous decisions. During almost two decades of stalling, Exxon continued to earn record profits.

Supertanker accidents and the gulf spill reveal how little attention is paid to prevention. We have to plan in exquisite detail for any exigency, not play fast and loose with our claims of having everything under control. And we really must start shifting from fossil fuels to cleaner renewable energy sources.

We can all do our part as well by conserving energy and by reducing our reliance on cars. Here in Canada, we can let our leaders know we’re counting on them to make sure our oceans and coastlines are protected from these catastrophes.

Article exclusive to STREETS OF TORONTO