Deepwater Horizon Blowout or better known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, is the biggest instance of a marine oil spill in history that occurred on April 20, 2010, due to an oil platform explosion. The Deepwater Horizon rig located in the Gulf of Mexico was leased to British Petroleum (BP) which is considered the main party responsible for the accident. The company failed to adequately plan the thickness of the cement at the base of the oil well, which resulted in the release of natural gas and its consequent ignition when it reached the platform. However, along with BP, Transocean â the firm that owned the platform and leased it to BP â and Halliburton â a subcontractor responsible for cementing the well â were also accused of several regulations violations.
The disaster led to the death of 11 people and substantial damage to marine inhabitants. As for the latter, not considering numerous lethal cases, many animals suffered from injuries to internal organs and failure of the reproductive system. Moreover, the oil spill did not only affect the species living in the water but birds who found homes and food in the Gulf of Mexico. Last but not least, the incident affected the groundwater quality and availability. As of today, the effect of the Deepwater Horizon Blowout is still evident as the population of some species has been continually reducing. Yet, in general, the efforts to control and remedy the consequences of the tragedy have been productive, and there is a chance to state a slow but steady recovery.
In this regard, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is directly linked to the curriculum of the âsociology of the environment and ecologyâ course. Indeed, it shows how human activity and environmental conditions are related in the modern world. As such, the current case shows how irresponsible behavior can impact the surrounding living creatures and their inhabitants. Therefore, understanding the fragile nature of the environment, it is crucial that people adopt more responsible behavior in the future.