oil spill

Gulf of Mexico oil slick: the view from space © NASA

The Gulf of Mexico is in the news right now, because of a catastrophic oil spill. You will probably already have seen the pictures. We’ve already pointed out that this is yet another example of the impact our global dependency on oil is having, and how BP in particular, are at fault for their relentless pursuit of the black stuff. They’ll seemingly stop at nothing to fill up oil barrels.

The images we most associate with oil spills are of the impact on wildlife: sea otters in Prince William Sound , or seabirds in Shetland, covered with oil. It’s a dramatic and easily understood impact on our seas’ biodiversity.

Gulf Coast disaster: Seabirds surrounded by oil booms © Sean Gardner/Greenpeace

America woke up to what could be one of the biggest environmental disasters in its history this morning as crude oil from the wrecked BP rig Deepwater Horizon started to wash ashore along Louisiana's Gulf coast.

The 5,000 square kilometre slick threatens to devastate fisheries, wildlife refuges and bird sanctuaries. Louisiana is most at risk, but Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are also in danger.

Ships work to contain the oil spill © Sean Gardner/Greenpeace

Will they never learn? Today the Gulf coast of the southern US is facing environmental catastrophe. Over 200,000 gallons of crude oil a day is leaking from the wellhead of the destroyed BP rig Deepwater Horizon, creating a giant slick visible from space.

Some bad news from our Nordic office: around 4000 tonnes of raw oil has leaked into the North Sea, in the second largest oil spill in Norwegian history.

25,000 barrels-worth of oil leaked into a key herring and mackerel ground and is now drifting northwards. The waves are too high for any oil lenses to work, and a lot of the oil's being washed underwater.

The accident happened when a pipe broke during the loading of oil from the Statfjod A platform in bad weather.

There's more on Reuters.