Blog 3 : response to magazine article

It is hard to explain the emotions that will rush through your mind after reading about the tragic BP oil spill. You would think that it would have a dramatic impact on our society, our environment and the way that we think. But it seems to have been a thing of the past. "The worst environmental disaster America has ever faced," proclaims our president and we brush it off as though nothing has happened. Experiencing an epoch such as this, should have pushed us to our limit and forced change upon us. Even today we are still recovering from everything that the oil spill has put us through and people have the audacity to say that it was an exaggeration. It cost us the lives of human beings and is continuing to ruthlessly take the lives of species indiginess to the area.


I truely believed that people could not change until they were forced to experience the tramatic and catasrophic happenings for themselves, but even after an event like this, we Americans cannot even push ourselves to make little effort towards a bit of change. Which makes me question, have we seen the worst to come?

"Yes, the spill killed birds — but so far, less than 1% of the number killed by the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska 21 years ago. Yes, we've heard horror stories about oiled dolphins — but so far, wildlife-response teams have collected only three visibly oiled carcasses of mammals. Yes, the spill prompted harsh restrictions on fishing and shrimping, but so far, the region's fish and shrimp have tested clean, and the restrictions are gradually being lifted. And yes, scientists have warned that the oil could accelerate the destruction of Louisiana's disintegrating coastal marshes — a real slow-motion ecological calamity — but so far, assessment teams have found only about 350 acres of oiled marshes, when Louisiana was already losing about 15,000 acres of wetlands every year." This section of the article states evidence of devistation and acts as though they are no big deal becuase it hasn't made as much damage as other catastraphies. But I mean it only distroyed 350 acres of land. This just shows how selfish and reluctent to change people really are and how hard it will be to get people to take steps forward to alternative methods that will ultimitly benefit the world as a whole community, instead of being stubborn and only do what is most convenient for ourselves.


Reflection questions: Do you think that we will be forced to change eventually? what is your opinion on the article? How do you think events like the BP spill affect our daily lives? What are your opinions on alternative methods of fuel and energy? After reading the article do you think that you will make a conscious effort to change? Do you think people will ever bring themsleves to change?


http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2007202,00.html

Grunwald, Michael. "the BP spill: Has the Damage Been Exaggerated." 29 July 2010: n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2007202,00.html>.