I am sure everyone remembers the dreadful images that were broadcasted in the news on the oil spill on Mexico Bay. Seagulls covered with gooey and dark oil could not even flap their wings and numerous fishes washed up to the coast with their gills stuck with raw oil. The use of oil revolutionized the way we enjoy our lives. Rather than walking for miles, we simply use automobiles. Numerous daily products ranging from clothes to office supplies, oil is used in various production stages to bring comfort to our lives. Yet, I find that we are drenched in the benefits of such conveniences that we fail to properly acknowledge the inherent dangers of oil usage. A prominent threat of using oil is the stage of acquiring oil from the Earth. Rarely but at the same time relatively often, oil spills threaten the ecosystem. The pervasive nature of oil spills makes the incident a much more dangerous one. 

What are oil spills?

Oil spills are a leakage of oil, a mixture of benzene and toluene, into a large body of water such as the ocean. After such a spill occurs, it creates a thin layer of oil which spreads rapidly. The thin layer later becomes a thin sheen, which emits a rainbow-colored light that reflects across the sea. Some of the chemistry behind oil spills is that the water molecules are polar with one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. Water partially has a negative charge from the oxygen atom and a positive charge from the hydrogen atoms. Oil is nonpolar, which makes it repel water. Moreover, due to the difference in density, oil floats on top of the water. 

Oil spill poses a serious threat to both humans and the environment. Making contact with or consuming contaminated water and air causes numerous diseases such as Increased cancer risk, Reproductive problems, Decreased immunity, and more. There also are economic risks; local fishermen are unable to capture fresh fish, which makes their living hard as their means of living is selling fish. For the environment, it causes physical damage to marine organisms. Oil drenches birds’ feathers, making them unable to fly or making organisms difficult to regulate their temperature due to the oil on the skin.

How was the oil spill traditionally dealt?

Oil spills are traditionally dealt with by the government, mainly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. After the oil spill is reported to the government, NOAA sends their HAZMAT team to the scene to first access the size of the spill and then determine the size as well as possible solutions in dealing with such a case. Because oil spills have different means of response depending on the location and the size, the initial step is crucial towards a successful outcome. 

After the assessment is done, NOAA officers arrive at the scene to initiate their clean-up process. If the spill occurred at sea, where humans are unable to reach, NOAA utilizes various chemicals and technologies. For instance, a technique called ‘dispersion’ is used to remove oil particles by spraying a set of chemicals. When the spill occurs near the shore, human employees are placed to use vacuuming or manually remove the oil residue. 

Although such methods may seem ideal, there are numerous issues regarding these techniques. The significant limit is the safety of oil spill cleanup workers. Because cleanup workers work near the actual spill, they are exposed to diverse chemicals and hazardous oils that are detrimental to humans. Furthermore, the chemicals used during the clean-up process are extremely harmful to the marine ecosystem. Dispersants create a toxic environment for fish by releasing harmful oil break-down products into the water. The oil that is broken down also is harmful to the environment, making such a process harmful to humans and the ecosystem. 

How could businesses actively engage in dealing with oil spills?

Traditionally, oil spills are dealt with by governmental organizations such as the NOAA. However, there are more benefits if private corporations are also engaged in these processes. Primarily, private corporations would benefit in the technical aspects. Compared to governmental organizations which have a limited budget for purchasing tools and devices, private corporations would be relatively free in purchasing these tools. In addition, there are companies that are already involved in similar oil-related industries and have more knowledge and experience dealing with them. Therefore, having private corporations participating in dealing with oil spills would be highly beneficial. 

Another benefit of private company involvement would be that they would have a faster response than the government. Traditionally, the response requires large equipment and trained personnel to initiate the response. Such a process and the necessity of tools take hours even for the tools to come to the site. However, private corporations would take less time compared to the government as they would not require 

Alongside the technical aspects, companies engaging in dealing with oil spills also bear a moral responsibility. As corporations are gaining a significant portion of their profit from the general public, it would be a moral obligation for them to pay back to these people. Or at least endeavor to minimize the exposure of risk to their customer basis. Currently, these are done through ESG or CSR acts, where companies participate in eco-friendly actions for the environment or hire diverse people through the CSR program. 

Companies participating in oil spills would be able to propel their ESG commitment. Because oil spills serve as detrimental harm to its customers, their engagement would also serve as a method of maintaining their customers. If more casualties occur during the incident, it is the companies that are losing their customers the most. 

Companies also have a great amount of wealth compared to small organizations or governments, which enables them to readily engage with the incident. With the vast wealth the company currently has, they can either purchase the tools to use it when dealing with the spills. Especially for corporations already in a similar oil-related industry, they would be able to utilize the technology already being used in dealing with oil spills. 

Furthermore, dealing with oil spills would be a benefit not only for the customers but also for the corporation itself. By practicing ESG, companies would establish a higher income for the companies due to the positive action they are performing. For example, a survey by GreenPrint showed that 66% of the customers are willing to pay extra for companies that are practicing environmentally friendly actions. As such, working on oil spills, an action that helps sustain the environment, will bring in higher revenue for the company.  

In addition, participating in oil spills, in the end, may lead to more investors, increasing the financial stability of the corporation. According to a survey done by Gallup, 48% of investors are interested in sustainable investing funds, meaning that participating in sustainable actions may lead to higher interest and investment by investors, which could add financial stability to these corporations. 

Therefore, it would be ideal if corporations could actively engage in dealing with oil spills alongside the government due to its various benefits. Private corporations not only have better tools and technology but also the moral obligation to participate in sustainable actions as they have vast wealth in the payback for their loyal customers. 

Why should we ever care about this?

Oil spills not only cause environmental harm but also detrimental damage to the economy. The economic damage is caused mainly in two areas: tourism and fisheries. Oil spills hinder recreational activities done at sea, such as swimming or boating. As harmful toxins flow near the shore, people are unwilling to travel to these areas, which damages the travel industry. In addition, even after the shore has been cleaned and declared safe to enter, the public perception of the spill also prevents travellers from visiting the region. As a result, companies that depend on tourists such as resorts would go out of business. 

Furthermore, fisheries are also significantly damaged by oil spills. As the fish captured in the nearby sea are contaminated, local fishermen cannot capture marine livestock to sell them. Even if fishermen are able to capture the fish, the general public would still be hesitant towards consuming them due to the possibility of the livestock being contaminated. Consequently, the fishermen would lose their opportunity to sell the fish they captured, and the public would not be able to consume fresh local fish.

Public awareness and interest would be a meaningful first step to take in addressing the dangers of oil spills. Yet, awareness by itself cannot serve as the ultimate solution. In a wealth-concentrated capitalist society, it is left to businesses and corporations to ultimately address such issues based on their superior capacity. Active involvement by businesses and corporations would not only be much more effective than individual efforts but also would serve as an impactful public relations device. In fact, what seems to be a charity business could rather be a cost-effective effect-guaranteed advertisement opportunity.