The Environment

We have all heard about the oil spill off the coast of Mexico; an environmental disaster in the making. But what will the consequences and impact be on the natural world and people of the area. Some of the effected region faced hurricane Katrina, which devastated so many people’s lives. Many are only just getting back on their feet. How are these events going to affect them?

It is not only the local impact the oil spill has, but ultimately a global one. Fish stocks, birds, animals the marine environment will all be impacted on as more and more oil escapes. I don’t believe that they can stop all of the oil reaching vulnerable wildlife, even if they do manage to contain the leak. Areas of coastline are already being contaminated as oil is washed ashore - who knows how much.

Looking at the long term, food chains could be greatly affected. It starts small, infected fish are eaten, and the next in the food chain eats these fish, and so on. These creatures then migrate to different parts of the world and the infection is transferred to another area. Who knows how long these chains are.

The oil spill presents problems for people too. Many earn their living from fishing or tourism. Both of which will decline due to the spill, bringing with them far reaching consequences for many years to come. Just look at the Exxon Valdez oil spill and how long Prince William Sound in Alaska has taken to recover.

Events that happening thousands of miles away make you think about our own fragile environment and the challenges we face here in the UK. A recent UN report, which uses research from 120 nations shows that no country in the world has successfully halted the loss of biodiversity; however there has been some success in protecting sensitive areas of land and sea. Read the article in The Times, www.timesonline.co.uk, environment section - Third of all plants and animals face extinction.