The Human Toll of the BP Oil Spill

Photo credit: Aerial image of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is taken from a US Coast Guard HC-144 aircraft. This US Navy Photo is by Mass Communication Specialist First Class Michael B. Watkins.

We've all heard about the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which is devastating wildlife, ecosystems and people wherever the slick touches. It's an incredible disaster, with many efforts to stop the oil spill failing, and the outcome seems to get bleaker every day.

The explosion on April 20 killed 11 people (or "workers" say most news reports) and has been releasing hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean ever since. My sister recently read an article in The Globe and Mail about shrimp fishermen and other workers whose livelihoods are in jeopardy thanks to the closure of fishing in the Gulf. Tourism has also tanked as soon as word of the spill spread. My sister shared this story with me and I thought I would share it with you (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/as-oil-slick-spreads-gulf-coasts-lifeblood-dries-up/article1554339/). It's a really good account of how this human-caused disaster is shaking people's lives in more ways than can be stomached.

As the World Wildlife Fund and other organizations work furiously on the ground to protect the highly endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna as well as mass numbers of plovers and sandpipers stopped in the Gulf on their migratory route northward, those of us watching the news can't help wondering what is going to happen to all of those people whose jobs depend on the health of the oceans. If you stop and think about it, they are not so different from you and me. They are fishermen and tour guides and probably never even thought that something like this would happen. How does one prepare or handle a disaster like this?

Here at home, World Wildlife Fund is working to protect the Arctic waters and is in talks with government around the placement of oil rigs and how to close the oil spill response gap. Sierra Club, Audubon, The Nature Conservancy and others are also on the ground helping to address immediate crises with the oil spill. All of these organizations could use our help to support their work.

What do you think about the BP oil spill? I'm interested to hear your thoughts on how you think the spill is effecting people where you live. The oil is continuing to spill into the Gulf of Mexico and the massive toll this will take is still unknown. Let's read some of your comments on this issue.