How I Caused the BP Oil Spill
Ok, so I didn’t really cause the BP oil spill – not directly anyway, but in some indirect ways, I probably did. At the very least, I contributed to the conditions and mindset that increased its likelihood. And you probably did too. How?
I own a car. I do walk or ride my bike often, but I still drive many places. I also don’t choose public transportation as often as I could. While I don’t own an Expedition or Excursion, I also don’t drive a Smart Car. I only fill my tank about twice a month, but when I do I expect cheap gas – and I will drive out of my way to save a few cents per gallon. Time recently ranked the “American driver” among the Top 10 culprits in the Deepwater spill. I am an “American driver.”
I fly, including internationally, and when I do I want cheap airfare. I expect my local grocery store to carry bananas even though I live in Northern Virginia, and I want strawberries available all year long. Transporting this produce from all over the world to my neighborhood grocery is fuel-intense. So is stocking my local wine store shelves with my favorite Oregon Pinot Noirs. Why do I demand that when Virginia-grown Cabernet Franc could serve my needs?
I always have a stash of canvas tote bags in my car and one in my purse, but I sometimes forget to take them into the store and end up with plastic bags taking up space in my house. The San Francisco Department of the Environment says it takes 430,000 gallons of oil to produce 100 million plastic shopping bags. So don’t stop recycling those plastic bags, but it might be better to forego them all together.
In addition to gasoline and plastic, petroleum is used in all sorts of things. According to Ranken Energy Corporation, 6,600 products contain petroleum, from footballs to shampoo. I’m sure I purchase more petroleum-based products each week than I’d like to – because I am not fully aware of what products contain petroleum.
Should we be frustrated and angry that this spill happened? Yes. Should we be concerned about the very long-term and yet-to-be-fully-understood implications of this spill, both economically and environmentally? Yes. Should we expect BP to explain what happened, be honest about what they knew and did, pay the penalties imposed on them by all levels of government and provide financial resources to clean up, repair and repay those impacted by the disaster? Yes. Should we expect the U.S. Government to hold BP accountable for their role in this spill? Yes.
At the same time, however, none of us is blame-free. Most Americans drive more than we need to, demand cheap and easily available gasoline, and relay on plastic bags and other petroleum-based products. Should we hold accountable those we are directly responsible for the Deepwater disaster? Absolutely! But while we’re doing that we also should look in the mirror and then think about our own behavior and what we might do differently in hopes of changing the demand for oil, and the need for more and riskier oil extraction.
[...] petroleum, is the base for many products – from make-up to DVDs. As I explained in my blog post, “How I Caused the BP Oil Spill,” many of us consume more oil than we realize and, therefore, are responsible for the conditions and [...]
A Weekend Without Oil « My Energy
August 21, 2010