Oil- bearing areas have been subject to environmental degradation, culminating sometimes into ecological catastrophes. The advent of oil production has resulted in mass destruction of ecological resources- be it forests, aquatic systems, wildlife displacement, endangering or extinction of species and wetlands and swamps among others.
Few prevalent oil related geopolitical externalities resulting in environmental damage are:
Oil Spillage: The Sanchi Oil spill, possibly the largest oil spill in the last 30 years, has been stealthily causing environmental catastrophe in South China Sea. Both China, in whose 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone the accident occurred, and Japan, in who’s otherwise claimed exclusive economic zone the vessel sank- i.e. the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, were slow to respond; never-mind their obligation to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to protect the marine environment. This is a clear case of geopolitical ego versus environment responsibility.
As per a UNDP report, much of environmental pollution in oil-bearing areas is a result of oil spillage which is turn is caused due to human error or equipment failure. Spills lead to gradual poisoning of water bodies, thereby affecting the marine life. In cases where oil spills are cleared using the firing technique, one should expect forests and rivers set ablaze, definitely not a desired option then.
Gas Flaring: A key air pollution and heat contributor, gas flaring is a deliberate burning of natural gas produced in these areas, such as Nigeria Delta. A study on gas flaring in South-Eastern Nigeria by Isiche and Sanford (1976) concluded that the flaring in Nigeria contributes a measurable percentage of the world’s total emissions of greenhouse gases.
Canalizations: Poor construction of networks and canals to transport the heavy drilling equipment, can result in destruction of local hydrological systems by letting in saltwater in freshwater bodies. This holds true more so when they are built between freshwater and brackish water (mangrove swamps) in the riverine areas, effecting the fishing capacity as well as availability of drinking water in the area.
Coastal Erosion: As per USGS-NASA study the Gulf of Mexico oil spill resulted in widespread loss of coastline not just in Mexico but also in the American State of Louisiana. Apart from coastline erosion, it also resulted in wetland fragmentation, with islands further having broken down into smaller islands. In fact the land lost is unlikely to be reestablished. Clearly then, shoreline erosion has the capacity to alter the natural coastal defenses against flooding.
Effluent and Waste from Oil Refineries: The most obvious environmental damage is from the lack of waste management in the oil refineries, who dump the effluent into the freshwater bodies. “Crude oil contains thousands of different chemicals, many of which are toxic and are known to be carcinogenic with no determined safe threshold for human exposure (HRW, 1999). Further, materials such as metals, glass, plastic, and crates used by the oil companies, which are later thrown away, have a negative effect on the people and environment. Atmospheric contaminants from refinery operations, such as oxide of nitrogen, carbon, and sulphur have been found to constitute major waste sources. Lubrication oils and other wastes in the form of sludge, bitumen, slope, and oil, sand, or sediment are present in large quantities within the oil flow stations, storage terminals and tanks (Nwakwo and Ifeadi, 1988).”
Given that these externalities leave a long-lasting impact on the ecosystem, oil industry needs to find ways to mitigate these future anthropogenic catastrophes in making. Mere safety measures and precautions are not enough. Decisive actions on behalf of the governments, as a global community and not a just sovereign nation needs to be taken. Environment is ultimately our life support system, whose fragile connection if broken, will catalyze a man-made disastrous future with no return…