A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column that probably made me sound a bit like the Unabomber.
The intent of the piece was to show the correlation between natural disasters and man-made structures. We see enormous loss of life, environmental catastrophe and economic losses so great, recovery is never close in sight.
A company, whose human impact is costing them a reported $41 billion to clean up, has just been granted access to continue deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Need any more hints?
According to a report in the British Financial Times, “BP will resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico as early as July, less than 15 months after an accident that killed 11 workers and led to the worst offshore disaster in US waters.”
BP will be forced to adhere to very strict regulations, granting government inspectors 24/7 access, yet I’m left wondering, could this be a big mistake?
I almost need not mention the devastating environmental situation that will be inevitable if there is another exploratory drilling “mishap” like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill last April, but in fact, that isn’t even my biggest gripe.
Imagine how much progress researchers would make on finding and developing alternative energy sources if BP cut them a check for $41 billion. Speaking directly to BP, why keep perpetuating this cycle?
Oil production is becoming more expensive at every step in the process, all the way down to the consumers at the pump.
After taking such a big economic hit last year, wouldn’t it be in the best financial interest of BP as a company to further their research and development of alternative energy?
Break the mold! Be the pioneer of the energy industry.
Think of it like the music industry. The time of consumers purchasing records and CDs is over. In fact, even online purchases are starting to decline.
Artists and labels are branching out and adapting to their situation. They are abandoning old practices and embracing the times, receiving compensation through YouTube/Vevo advertisement revenue sharing among other plans.
BP actually knows a thing or two about YouTube money; at the time of publication their channel has received 11,029,239 views.
Are we really that far away from a future where oil becomes too expensive for people to buy, forcing consumers to find different means of transportation?
Most, if not every, major airline has been forced to initiate new fees on services that were once free to the customer, such as checking luggage and charging passengers for mediocre mid-flight snacks in order to compensate for the increasing cost of jet fuel.
The others have either laid-off hundreds of employees or engaged in corporate buyouts and mergers simply to survive.
This recent course of action to allow BP to continue drilling in an area that they nearly destroyed is a poetic reminder of the mandatory and necessary actions that must be taken to lower our dependence on oil and seek to develop alternative means of energy.
Reach Ben at ben.karris@asu.edu
