The environmental impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

The impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on the environment is yet to be seen, but with BP stating that they will return the Gulf to the condition it was in before the spill, we hope the damaging effects can be minimised.

Miles of oil containing booms have now been used around the Gulf to stop the oil reaching the coastline of four US States. However, with tar balls now washing up on the coast of Florida it seems impossible not to consider the damage already done to marine life.

About 25% of the US wetlands are located in the Mississippi Delta alone and because human occupancy is at a minimum here, the birds and other living creatures can survive with little risk.

The US President Barak Obama has stated that BP should be held accountable for the disaster. The British company has been heavily criticised for the disaster in the US with boycotts of BP service stations taking place across the country.

It remains to be seen what the total environmental cost will be and it may be quite some time until we find out. Until then, BP don’t just have a huge PR job on their hands, they also have a huge clean up job too.