Response Journal - Essay Example

Impacts of BP Mexico Oil Spill on Houston BP Company is arguably the third largest energy company. The company is estimated to have a production capacity of around 3.8 million barrels of petroleum daily (BP par. 1). The organization has more than 22,400 service stations across the globe. The April 20th, 2010 oil disaster commonly known as BP oil spill that took place at the Gulf of Mexico is arguably the greatest oil spill accident in history. The disaster was caused by a huge blast on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil-drilling platform, causing an oil gusher to release between 12,000 and 100,000 barrels of oil into Mexico’s gulf.

The explosion also killed 11 people instantly leaving several others seriously injured and in addition to blackening the Gulf coast (Taylor par. 2). It is two years since the disaster occurred and its devastating effects are still being felt. Experts reveal that all oil, approximated at about five million barrels, leaked spreading from the coast of Mexico to Florida. Houston is arguably the place that felt most of impacts of the incident which affected mainly wildlife and the environment, thereby raising ethical issues (Taylor par. 4). The main ethical problems present in this situation were to do with the destruction of the environment and wildlife by humans in the Gulf of Mexico and its environs.

For instance, environmentalists reveal that the spill interfered with aquatic life as several marine animals were killed as a result. The other ethical issue that arose is that BP and its subcontractors were only concerned with cost saving without adequately assessing the hazardous risks. This in itself becomes unethical issue since BP concentrated only on cost saving and failing to put measures in place to ensure that their drilling processes were safe. The BP oil spill is also seen as an ethical issue for the reason that the company failed to minimize the impacts of the disaster for all those who were affected.

The spill interfered with businesses and coastal beaches that are dependent on fishing and tourism. Furthermore, the oil spill was not only a health concern for residents of Houston but also to coastal businesses that lost millions of dollars due to the disaster. Oil that spilled underwater also affected all the aquatic animals throughout the gulf raising ethical concerns (Taylor par.6).In conclusion, the BP oil spill problem seems to have been caused by negligence on the parts of engineering who were building the deep-water horizon.

To solve this problem, BP should always adhere to ethical practice when handling emergencies without putting extreme focus on cash. In addition, the company should also ensure that safety measures are put in place that can help deal with emergencies.Work CitedBP. Business Areas. 2012. Web. 2 October, 2012 http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9030300&contentId=7055906 Taylor, Michael. The Gulf Oil Spill’s Toxic Legacy. 2011. Web. 2 October, 2012 http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/the-gulf-oil-spills-toxic-legacy-20110225-1b8mz.html