The story of the Deepwater Horizon spill goes like this:
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is being called the worst environmental disaster in United States history.
Americans have witnessed first hand the negative effects of deepwater drilling. A damaged ecosystem, lost jobs and a lack of tourism are a few of the effects that plagued the Gulf Coast region this summer.
The clean-up process has been progressing and hundreds of miles of ocean are being restored. The leak is plugged, and commercial fishing is slowly returning to a stable state. BP is being held financially responsible for most of the clean up, and, as a whole, Americans seem to be satisfied with a more positive trajectory.
On a global scale, however, are responses equally positive?
East Africa has a slightly more harrowing tale to tell. In her article titled, “The Oil Spills We don’t Hear About,” Anene Ejikeme, an Op-Ed contributor for the NY Times says, “Experts estimate that some 13 million barrels of oil have been spilt in the Niger Delta since oil exploration began in 1958. This is the equivalent of one Exxon Valdez every year for 50 years.”
In contrast with the amount of aid work in the Gulf, little to no aid is being offered to the Niger Delta. The oil industry is continuing to frantically drill for oil in new locations in the Delta, causing more spills and more devastation.
A national crisis makes visible an international crisis. We should not be satisfied with Gulf Coast efforts if extractives industries are a contributing cause of suffering in developing and under-developed countries. It seems as though the most aid goes to where the conflict is most visible, not where the most help is needed.
Exploitation of resources, coupled with a lack of consideration for the people inhabiting the region has consequences, as the Niger Delta has proven. Now, the international community is finally noticing. In the year 2000, member states of the United Nations pledged to achieve eight Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015. The problem in the Niger Delta falls under three of the goals. These emphasize environmental sustainability, global development and ending extreme poverty and hunger.
As a result, there have been a number of initiatives focused specifically on extractives. The Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) has been particularly effective. Over 40 countries have pledged to work with companies and civil society to ensure that natives of the region are compensated.
Last semester, the SMU Model United Nations team represented Nigeria while attending the University of Chicago’s Model UN conference (commonly referred to as CHOMUN). They discussed and debated feasible and fair responses and necessary action to achieve the Millennium Development Goals before 2015.
As SMU’s Model UN team quickly learned, the Niger Delta countries have received some help under the EITI, but the area is far from restitution.
A very chilling documentary called Sweet Crude depicts the current state of the Niger Delta. This film emphasizes that to many people living in the Niger Delta, violence is the only way to fight the oil companies who threaten to destroy their land. Acts of destruction, a result of this violence, are now a leading cause of spills in the Delta. The people, in an effort to save to their homes, are inadvertently making matters worse.
The Gulf spill, the Niger Delta, and the irresponsible acts of extractive industries are all a part of the same story. Holding oil companies accountable nationally could eventually translate into equal accountability internationally.
Right now, don’t turn the spotlight away from oil companies because the situation in the Gulf is looking up. Instead, widen the spotlight across the international community to stop irresponsible extracting from occurring in the dark.
Adam is a sophomore CCPA and international studies double major. He is also a member of the SMU Model United Nations team. He can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].
