Environmental Degradation, Environmental Justice, and the Compassionate Agent

Abstract

On April 20, 2010 an environmental catastrophe unfolded in the Gulf of Mexico. On that day BP’s Deepwater Horizon off-shore drilling rig experienced a massive explosion and subsequent equipment failure when the “blowout preventer” mechanism failed to activate to prevent a geyser of oil, which spewed into the Gulf at a rate of at least 200,000 gallons of oil a day. The full impact of the disaster still cannot be fully assessed. The released oil posed significant threats to the Louisiana breeding grounds for crab, shrimp and other seafood; the Biloxi Wildlife Management area; and the coastlines of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Substantial damage to the environmentally sensitive salt marshes, to marine life, to the fishing industry, to coastal dependent tourism, to countless birds, coral, and mammals was evident in the aftermath of the explosion (Associated Press report May 2, 2010).