By Damion Boycott
The BP oil spill of April 2010 is considered the worst environmental disaster in U.S.history. The BP Deep Water Horizon tragedy has affected The Gulf ecosystem, the economy of the region and the surrounding communities. Oil continues to wash onto the shore of The Gulf Coast. 88,500 square miles of The Gulf was closed to fishing, impacting the livelihood of the local fisherman. Residents still complain about oil and dead animals washing up on the coast everyday, they also continue to get sick everyday as a result of contaminated air.
Although the impact of The Gulf oil spill still has yet to be resolved, oil spills in The Niger Delta region of Africa continue to cause even more human and environmental damage. More than 30 million people live in The Niger Delta in Nigeria. It is one of the most populated places on Earth. The Niger Delta is the worlds third largest river delta and contains an exceptional amount of oil deposits. Of course the local black inhabitants have yet to benefit from the nations oil wealth. The Niger Delta oil production began in the 1950's, since then more oil has been spilled through out the region each year than was spilled in The Gulf Of Mexico in 2010- making the Niger Delta one of the most polluted places on earth. Decades of pollution have caused irreversible damage to the people, the wildlife, the water and the air.
Many locals place the blame on Shell, who is not the only corporation to blame, but have caused the most environmental damage out of all the multinational corporations in the region. So far over 1,000 spill cases have been filed against Shell. ExxonMobil is also responsible for spilling over one million gallons of oil in The Niger Delta as a result of a broken pipeline. It is easy to identify the guilty parties, however the corporations are embroiled in a legal case that could take years to settle. In the end, the communities that are most affected will most likely never receive any compensation. These massive oil spills contaminate farmland and water sources, making it difficult for the locals to farm or use the water for bathing or drinking. This has caused extreme hardships for the people of The Niger Delta region, since agriculture, fishing and forest products are essential to their way of life and livelihood.
In the Ogoniland area of The Niger Delta, oil production began in 1958. However, as a result of massive protests, production was brought to an end in 1993. In spite of the fact that oil production ended twenty years ago, Ogoniland is still dealing with the effects of oil pollution. Ogoniland has a complex problem, it is connected to the rest of the delta, so contamination is easily spread to other regions. Excessive rainfall in the area is constantly causing oil to be washed into farmlands and creeks.
The Niger Delta oil spills have grim human consequences. What affects a part will eventually affect the whole. If a portion of the planet is being contaminated, the entire planet is being contaminated. An oil spill anywhere, is a threat to the environment everywhere. This is a clear case of environmental racism. If Nigeria was European country inhabited by Europeans, the problem would have never escalated to this level.