Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill – Classic NIMBY
It upsets me how hypocritical the government and people of the United States are. While the BP oil spill in the Gulf is one of the worst oil spills the world has ever seen, the response and media attention it has received are disproportionate to the attention some of the other spills have received, like the spills and dumping in the forests of Ecuador.
Obviously, the Gulf spill has gotten so much attention because it is directly affecting the ‘Homeland’ of the United States. It’s like a classic case of ‘Not in My Backyard’ (NIMBY). Because we all know that our insatiable thirst for oil causes incredible damage around the planet, but if it’s not in our own backyard, or affecting the fisherman in some southern states, than we don’t really care that much. We should also realize that as the reserves around the world are depleted, and we tap in to harder to reach oil, that there will be more risks, more expense and in turn more disasters caused by oil extraction.
My only hope is that the Gulf Oil Spill will not have occurred in vain, and that people will now have a higher level of consciousness about what the oil we use and its extraction does to our planet, whether it is in our backyard, or the other side of the globe. Hopefully, we can continue to build on the positive momentum started by the Gulf Oil Spill… limiting deep sea drilling and Arctic drilling, ending expansion of extraction in old growth precious forests, etc. And maybe, just maybe people will think twice more about their consumption of oil.
