Who is Responsible for Brazil's Oil Spill? Globalization



In September of 2019, north-east Brazil experienced an oil spill that covered thousands of kilometers of the coastline. Oil spills aren’t necessarily uncommon events, but what is interesting about this spill is that the Brazil government is unsure where the oil has come from.
The oil seen in the spill has been identified as crude oil. Crude oil is a type of fossil fuel used to produce products such as gasoline and diesel. Crude oil is considered an important resource due to the high demand for use of it to power our cars and other modes of transportation. Although Brazil does produce crude oil through their oil company, Petrobras, the Brazilian environment ministry has claimed that the oil seen in the spill is not a product of Brazil. This is said to be due to different characteristics that oil obtains depending on where it is originated from. The Brazilian government firmly believes that it’s neighbouring country, Venezuela, is to blame for the oil spill’s origin, but because the Venezuelan oil ships had their tracking signals turned off, they are unsure of the actual origin.
So, who is responsible for the oil spill that occurred in Brazil? Globalization. Without the technological advances of modern-day globalization, the likelihood of this oil spill occurring would be significantly lower. Transportation, a process made easier by globalization, has made it possible for every country to get the goods they have demanded. Venezuelan oil ships travel to both Europe and Asia, meaning they must cross the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Although this being able to occur is a pro of globalization, there are some evident cons. For example, the severe environmental impact this oil spill has on Brazil itself and the bodies of water surrounding it. Local residents who have taken it upon themselves to help clean up have gotten sick from the exposure to the crude oil, and more than 200 beaches along with the creatures in the surrounding water have been seriously harmed. This is an obvious con because the lack of care for the transportation (oil ships) has damaged our planet and has hurt citizens, which is the opposite effect of what globalization should be doing.
Today, globalization is credited for making everyday lives easier through technological advances, especially in transportation, and fulfilling our society’s demands; but, when an environmental disaster strikes and we want to pin the blame on someone else, we shouldn’t ask ourselves who is responsible for these negative impacts, we should be asking what is responsible for them, and the answer is globalization.



REFERENCES: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50223106

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