Final Paper: Ethical Analysis of the BP Oil Spill

I. Introduction

Thesis: The BP Oil spill was one of the greatest disasters that is believed to have had a catastrophic impact on the environment with marine life being the most distressed by the spill.

II. Body Paragraph 1: The BP oil spill immensely caused huge contamination to the beach, one of the destructive impacts that it had on the environment.

A. Supporting Evidence: The beaches in the region where the BP Oil spill occurred were ascertained to have been heavily contaminated, an aspect that saw a plunge in certain organisms that are a central part of marine life food chain (Benoit, 2011).

Explanation: The decline in the species of various organisms was not equal after the BP oil spill. Certain forms of marine life registered an increase in numbers. The forms of marine life that multiplied in numbers are those whose existence was favored by the conditions that were created by the pollution of the water. Organisms that did thrive are believed to be those that eat hydrocarbons, a product that is contained in oil (Freudenburg, & Gramling, 2011).

So What: The impact of the oil spill on the ecosystem is expected to be long term given the imbalance it caused in marine life. Diversity in marine life was killed and dominance by several fungal species, an aspect that is not value additive to marine life.

III. Body Paragraph 2: The oil spill contributed, in a big way, to the damage of the corals a little distant away from where the spill was experienced, another negative environmental impact that the spill had.

A. Supporting evidence: The thriving of corals is heavily influenced by the availability of oxygen in the water. The spill created a cover sheet that contributed towards less oxygen and carbon dioxide in the water, an aspect that resulted in the death of the corals (Barrage, Chyn, Hastings, & National Bureau of Economic Research, 2014).

Explanation: The ecosystems in deep waters appear to have been impacted immensely by the BP oil spill according to researchers that linked the damage as well as the deaths of corals on the spill.

So What: The level of damage of the BP oil spill was quite extensive and not as the initial environmental assessment indicated given the impact that the spill had on the corals that were distant from the area where the spill covered.

IV. Body Paragraph 3: A sharp increase in the number of dolphin deaths and the BP oil spill further worsened the environmental damage of what was an environmental catastrophe.

A. Supporting Evidence: The dolphins that were established to have died in the region where the spill was spread were covered with oil and their numbers surged compared to the number of deaths in previous years in the same period of time (United States, 2013).

Explanation: The deaths in dolphins increasing could be accredited to the fact that the spill made them ill. Dolphins in the area of the spill lost a lot of weight, registered a reduction in the levels of blood sugar, and worse still, cancer, not only of the liver but that of the lungs in these animals.

V. What Could have been Done

Several actions would have gone a long way in preventing the BP Oil spill. One of the things that could have been done to prevent the oil spill would be the prioritization of safety over profitability at BP. The conducting of a test that should have been independently done would have helped identify the issues in the cement seal that eventually led to the spill (Scherer, 2012).

VI. Conclusion

The BP Oil spill was a cause of a massive environmental disaster. One of the environmental damages that resulted from the spill was the contamination that it not only caused in the beach but on the marsh as well. The spill also led to the death of dolphins as well as other marine life. Prevention measures could have been taken to prevent the oil spill before it happened.

References

Barrage, L., Chyn, E., Hastings, J. S., & National Bureau of Economic Research. (2014). Advertising, reputation, and environmental stewardship: Evidence from the BP oil spill. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

This article would be used in the discussion of the ethical aspects of the BP Oil spill, focusing on the ethics of promoting profits while lapses in the safety of BP Pipeline were highly eminent. Information on ensuring that the actions of corporations are ethical to promote environmental conservation and protection would be provided by the article.

Benoit, P. (2011). The BP oil spill. New York: Children's Press.

The publication would be used to provide insight into specific details regarding the BP Oil spill. The lapses that contributed to the spill are described in depth in the book, as well as what could have been done to prevent the spill outlined. The actions that were undertaken to manage the oil spill are further detailed, and would also be useful in handling the final paper.

Freudenburg, W. R., & Gramling, R. (2011). Blowout in the Gulf: The BP oil spill disaster and the future of energy in America. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

The reading would provide valuable information on actions that could be done in the future to prevent similar disasters. The oil spill caused a great disruption in the energy industry and the course of action that could be taken to avoid similar inconveniencies detailed. The reading would be of great value in handling the final paper.

Scherer, L. S. (2012). The BP oil spill. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press.

The reading by Scherer would provide valuable information on the adverse environmental issues and problems that resulted from the oil spill. The efficiency of measures that were applied and improvements that should be made in future responses to similar scenarios are detailed in the reading, an aspect that would make it helpful in handling the final paper.

United States. (2013). The BP oil spill: Human exposure and environmental fate: hearing before the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, second session, June 10, 2010.

The fate that the environment suffered as a result of the BP Oil spill is intensively discussed in the article. The manner in which the problem was handled and the end results of the process are also discussed in the article. The article would provide valuable information on the damage that the disaster had on the environment.