In the Face of Disaster

When disaster strikes, we enter “fight or flight” mode. We either stand our ground in preparation to face the issue, or in contrast, we turn to escape. This is what the BP oil company faced in April 2010 when a sea-floor oil rig exploded. The owners of BP say they are doing all that they can do in the most-timely manner. However, the authors of Nature magazine state, “US agencies have moved too slowly in gathering key data on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.” These articles are in direct contrast with one another, however both make sound arguments worth forming a legitimate personal opinion; BP claims they are handling the spill effectively, whereas Nature magazine complains that aspects of the clean-up need improvement.

We all know that accidents happen, and when they do, we must do what is necessary to fix it. BP Oil Company is responsible for the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry; now it is time to remedy the situation. BP responds to this accident by stating, “We continue to seal the Macondo well permanently, clean up the environment, and make sure that people are compensated for legitimate claims.” The article continues to speak about the specifics on sealing the well itself, containing the oil, the status of the beaches and wildlife, and the claims due to others. The article states, “We’re cleaning the beaches 24/7… and rehabilitating birds and other wildlife.” Also, a video on the article’s page states, “BP is going to be here until the oil is gone… until we make this right.” It would sound like BP Oil Company is upholding the claim to “do everything [it] can to make this right.” However, the opinions of some greatly differ.

A recent article in Nature magazine states, “Aspects of the US approach [to the oil spill] could be improved.” The article mainly discusses the lack of research being done and complains that it was not until just recently that the size of the spill- a “key and much-debated piece of information”- became known. This is hampering the researchers desire to collect more data and is leaving them ill-informed. Nature suggests rebuilding the research office and keeping it at adequate staffing levels to allow for basic on-going research into the best response efforts. The article does recognize, however, that BP is attempting to fix the situation by providing $500 million over the next ten years to research the long-term impact of the spill.

The one issue that both articles do agreed on is that there are lessons to be learned! BP states, “One of the ways BP is seeking to make things right… is to share the lessons that have been learned and capabilities developed during the response effort.” In agreement, Nature believes that getting a full picture of exactly what happened can be a huge help in minimizing losses in future disasters. Just like with every accident, there is a lesson to be learned; I believe that regardless of the specifics each article brings to the table, BP has certainly learned from this mistake.

“All at Sea.” Nature (2010). Article: Nature. 27 May 2010. Web. 6 Sept. 2010.
“Gulf of Mexico Response.” http://www.bp.com/extendedsectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=40&contentId=7061813 (2010). 6 Sept. 2010.