Brooklyn Staab | Opinion Editor & Publicity Manager
January 28, 2022
In a time of crisis, thousands of Peruvians came together to help each other in seemingly small but impactful ways.
Oil spills are no new catastrophe—unnecessary pipelines and heavy use of fossil fuels around the world have made oil spills a somewhat frequent occurrence for decades. On January 15 in Peru, an underwater pipeline broke off and caused an immediate issue for the environment and the Peruvian people.
The pipe was in use by a Spanish energy company, Repsol’s La Pampilla refinery, which denies all proven claims that the environmental tragedy was a result of their actions. It was originally said that the spill ensued from a volcanic eruption the week prior in Tonga, which caused unusual waves that broke the pipes. After further research, it was discovered that a ship broke the pipes, not unusual wave patterns.
Repsol’s had even denied the fact that the oil spill occurred in the first place, but since then changed their statement. Despite the general acknowledgment of the adverse impacts of oil spills, corporate companies still feel the right to lie to the people in an attempt to cover up their mistakes.
“Oil spills can of course kill lots of species, but they also will block light from reaching underwater biomes, which devastates essential habitats that play a key role in our environment as a whole,” junior Lukas Unseld said.
Despite such tragedies, the people of Peru have come up with innovative ways to save their ecosystems. One method that thousands of people have adopted was to donate hair to actively protect beaches. Hair can naturally absorb oil, so placed in sausage-like buoy chains in oceans, it repels water and absorbs oils, keeping the beaches slightly cleaner.
Looking beyond the current catastrophe, people have been protesting Repsol’s La Pampilla refinery and the government’s use of fossil fuels as a whole. Hopefully, these protests will remain safe and provoke serious change. Within many countries and corporations, wealthy officials seldom face the consequences of environmental disasters such as oil spills. But for the citizens, an oil spill can greatly impact their life.
From long-term health effects such as respiratory problems and irreparable skin damage to irreversible environmental deterioration, oil spills are no joke. Better measures must be in place to prevent future oil spills for the sake of the people and the environment.
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