Fluctuations in any natural ecosystem have the potential to wreak havoc on the environment and animal populations as a whole.
The impact of environmental oil spills has been studied for decades, thus there is a certain predictive quality regarding the events that will occur immediately after an oil spill. One might assume that if the nature of oil spills and recovery efforts are predictive, than adequate measures can be taken to prevent the devastation most often associated with these spills. This is not however always the case.

Among the primary biological impacts of an oil spill include: (1) physical and chemical alteration of the natural habitat, (2) physical smothering of fauna and flora, (3) lethal and sub-lethal toxic effects on marine and wildlife and (4) changes in the biological communities including organisms and animal (Dicks, 1998). Not one of these effects can be described as minor, rather all of them have…...

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References

Arentz, P. (2004). "Oil Spills a very costly business." Scandinavian Shipping Gazette.

20, November, 2004:  http://www.shipgaz.com/english/magazine/issues/2004/10/1004_artikel.asp 

Argue, D.A., Furchtogott-Roth, H.W.; Hurdle, G.J.; Mosteller, G. & Owen, B.M. (1995).

The economics of a disaster: The Exxon Valdez oil spill." Westport: Quorum Books.

(Tanner, 1)
The tanker, which ran afoul of a support girding for the Bay Bridge, released the remarkable amount of oil into an area which is highly populated by plants, animals and people, and is also incidentally ensconced on three sides by the now tainted Pacific waters. In the immediate aftermath of the event, it was clear that such areas as San Francisco had taken the brunt of this poorly administered ecological threat and that there sacrifice should be seen as a justification for such steps are attempting to gain a global standard on ship safety, guidance and insulation from rupture. The degree to which the spill was destructive and centered in a place of import or public note -- as opposed ot the Alaskan remoteness of the Exxon Valdez spill -- should help to highlight a clear need for a change. Indeed, "the oil spill in San Francisco Bay…...

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Works Cited

Tanner, a. (2007). Large cleanup after San Francisco oil spill. Reuters. Online at  http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0822954120071109 

Wikpedia. (2008). Oil Spill. Wikimedia, Ltd. Inc.

USEPA. (2008). Oil Spills. Emergency Management. Online at   "oil spill settlement funds watershed restoration"http://epa.gov/oilspillthearticle 

Oil Spill Damage
The effects of oil spills have had lasting effects on the marine and terrestrial ecosystems that affect the respiratory, food chain, and reproductive systems of marine and terrestrial wildlife for decades. "Human activity has depleted marine species 90%, seagrass and wetland habitat 65%, and degraded water quality 10-1,000 fold" (Narisimha). A major portion of these statistics has been due to oil spills. It has been difficult for scientists to measure the actual effects of an oil spill due to the fact that one oil spill has affects that last decades. There has been more than 320 known offshore drilling oil spills since 1964 alone (A Deadly Toll: The Gulf Oil Spill and the Unfolding Wildlife Disaster, 2011).

On April 20, 2010, P spilled 205.8 million gallons of oil and 225,000 tons of methane in the Gulf of Mexico over a three-month time period, creating one of the largest oil…...

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Bibliography

A Deadly Toll: The Gulf Oil Spill and the Unfolding Wildlife Disaster. (2011, Apr). Retrieved from Center for Biological Diversity:  http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/oil_and_gas/gulf_oil_spill/ 

asladirt. (2010, June 1). Oil Spill Will Hve Long-term Impact on Local Ecosystems. Retrieved from The Dirt:  http://dirt.asla.org/2010/06/01/damage-to-gulf-of-mexico-ecosystem-grows/ 

Narisimha, M. (n.d.). Human Impact on Marine Ecosystem. Retrieved from Aquafind:  http://www.aquafind.com/articles/HumanImpact.php 

Oil Spill Impacts on Mammals. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Wildlife Federation:  http://www.nwf.org /Oil-Spill/Effects-on-Wildlife/Mammals.aspx

283). This led to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). This Act acknowledged the fact that there was a lack of knowledge about the ocean ecosystem. This was an important insight and "At its core, NEPA requires federal agencies to produce an environmental impact statement (EIS) whenever they propose a major federal action" but " it was unclear from the original language of the statute whether the lease of oil exploration rights was covered" (othbach, 2007, p. 283). However, in 1978 Congress amended this Act with regard to the current state of the law governing the leasing of offshore oil exploration rights. The 1978 amendments "…specifically state that if a plan for development and exploration of offshore oil resources is a major federal action, then an EIS must be produced" (othbach, 2007, p. 283). These events were to contribute to the growing concern about the environmental impact…...

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References

Baird, S.L. (2008). Offshore Oil Drilling: Buying Energy Independence or Buying Time?. The Technology Teacher, 68(3).

Boesch, D.F., Butler, J.N., Cacchione, D.A., Geraci, J.R., Neff, J.M., Ray, J.P., et al. (1987). Chapter 1 an Assessment of the Long-Term Environmental Effects of U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Development Activities: Future Research Needs. In Long-Term Environmental Effects of Offshore Oil and Gas Development, Boesch, D.F. & Rabalais, N.N. (Eds.) (pp. 1-53). London: Elsevier Applied Science. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from Questia database:  http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=108893334 

Boesch, D.F. & Rabalais, N.N. (Eds.). (1987). Long-Term Environmental Effects of Offshore Oil and Gas Development. London: Elsevier Applied Science. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from Questia database:  http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=108893325 

Bradley, S.B. (1982). The Politics of Offshore Oil (J. Goldstein, Ed.). New York: Praeger.

oil drilling and towards this end this study will examine issues related to oil drilling and specifically as oil drilling relates to the environment.
According to 'Live Science' when it comes to oil drilling "there are extremes on both sides." (2014, p. 1) Firstly, the attempt to "pin down the impact of seismic waves on wildlife often must rely on caged animals" when it comes to experiements in the laboratory. (Live Science, 2014, p. 1) I ti sreported that Exxon Mobile has to suspend Madagascar exploration for oil when in exxcess of 100 whales ended up beaching themselves. (Live Science, 2014, paraphrased) There are however, some important advances in the process of drilling oil in terms of bringing about a reduction in the environmental footprint and stated specifically is that the oil companies "are now able to drain several oil fields from one platform. And new horizontal drilling techniques allow…...

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References

Drilling risks and Rewards (2014) Live Science. Retrieved from:  http://www.livescience.com/4979-oil-drilling-risks-rewards.html 

Why is Offshore Drilling So Controversial? (2014) How Stuff Works. Retrieved from:  http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/offshore-drilling-controversy2.htm

price of oil has fallen from around $120 per barrel about a year and half ago to around $50 per barrel. This has resulted in a sharp fall in revenues for all oil companies and specially the smaller companies that have a limited cash or revenue reserve. IN this condition this paper studies the possible strategies that can adopted by smaller oil companies to tide over the situation.
For this study we take the case of BNK Petroleum. The study reveals that the company expended more than three forth of its revenue of exploration which was one of the major causes of losses. It was recommended that the company should reduce its exploration expenses and look to venture into new markets of South America and Africa. To enable financing of marketing expenses in these markets, it has also been recommended that the company dilute some of its equity. To further…...

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References

Bhar, R. and Nikolova, B. (2010). GLOBAL OIL PRICES, OIL INDUSTRY AND EQUITY RETURNS: RUSSIAN EXPERIENCE. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 57(2), pp.169-186.

Bnkpetroleum.com, (2015). Frequently Asked Questions -- BNK Petroleum Inc. -- TSE: BKX. [online] Available at:   [Accessed 17 Nov. 2015].http://www.bnkpetroleum.com/about-us/faqs?view=category&id=17 

Fine, L. (2009). The SWOT analysis. [Place of publication not identified]: Kick It.

Grant, R. and Grant, R. (2005). Contemporary strategy analysis. Malden: Blackwell.

Anyanwu and Obire (2009) note that oil spills like those seen in the Niger Delta leave soil barren for years, devastating not only the resources that were present at the time of the spill, but eliminating any resources that could be reaped from the area in future years (Anyanwu and Obire 211). This notion was mirrored by a 2009 agricultural study conducted in the area of the Niger Delta, which found that the negative impact of the oil spills on agricultural production was found to, reduce crop yield, pollute the rivers for fishing, and reduce land productivity and farm income, along with the standard of living of the Nigerian people (Aviomoh, Okoh and Ojogwu 62).
The future state of the affected area continues to look bleak, especially from the outside world who is largely incapable of understanding Nigerian motivations to continue serving the oil industry in a manner that sacrifices…...

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References

Akpomuie, Orhioghene. "Tragedy of Commons: Analysis of Oil Spillage in the Niger Delta." Journal of Sustainable Development, 4.2. (2011): 200-211. Web.

Retrieved from: ProQuest Database.

Anyanwu, E.C. And Obire, O. "Impact of Various Concentrations of Crude Oil on Soil."

International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 6.2. (2011) 211-221. Web. Retrieved from: ProQuest Database.

Regulating Oil and Gas Drilling and Transport
The American economy runs on energy produced from oil, coal, natural gas, hydroelectric power, nuclear power and renewable sources like solar and wind energies. In fact according to a report in the Congressional Research Service, oil provides the United States with 40% of its total energy needs. It is used in myriad ways, providing "…fuel for the transportation, industrial, and residential sectors" (Ramseur, 2012). Because of the great need for energy to fuel the American economy, oil in "vast quantities" enters the country and moves through the country by ships and by pipelines, Ramseur explains in the Congressional Research Service. Hence, it is inevitable that some spills will occur, and they certainly do occur, notwithstanding the attempts by the industry to conduct its business safely.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the U.S. consumed 6.87 billion barrels (about 18.83 million barrels a day)…...

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Works Cited

American Petroleum Institute. (2012). Energy Security. Retrieved February 15, 2013, from http://www.api.org.

Barkham, Patrick. (2010).Oil spills: Legacy of the Torrey Canyon. The Guardian. Retrieved February 14, 2013, from  http://www.guardian.co.uk .

Griffin, Catherine. (2013). European Satellite Confirms Arctic Ocean is on Thin Ice, Global

Warming Strikes Again. Science World Report. Retrieved February 15, 2013, from  http://www.scienceworldreport.com .

So far, this is not the case, and oil companies only pay royalties on production. This is another area under scrutiny in the MMS scandal. There are reports, dating back to 2008, that the royalty offices of the MMS, located in Denver, routinely accepted oil company numbers on the amount of oil they produced, rather than independently auditing the numbers. No one knows how much lost revenue to the government that practice resulted in, and there is no way of finding out now. Clearly, future policy formation on the industry needs to include more oversight, more regulations, and a much less cozy relationship between the regulators and the companies they are regulating.
Future policy formation on other energy sources

The Gulf spill has helped to change public opinion on oil and its production, and on how it is regulated. It seems much clearer after the spill that we are a nation…...

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References

Editor. (2010). Update on oiled wildlife and marine life recovered along Louisiana's coastline. Retrieved 16 July 2010 from the Louisiana.gov Web site:  http://emergency.louisiana.gov/Releases/07142010-wildlife.html .

Editors. (2010). Oil dispersants. Retrieved 16 July 2010 from the Prairie View A&M University Web site:  http://www.extension.org/pages/Oil_Dispersants .

Falola, T., & Genova, A. (2005). The politics of the global oil industry: An introduction. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Green groups bolster lobby against offshore drilling; Democrats struggle to pacify uneasy voters. (2008, July 16). The Washington Times, p. A06.

The simple fact is this that the initiation of offshore oil drilling can be used effectively as a threat to lower the overall importing prices of oil from the Middle East States. The actual drilling, if looking at its impact internally, might or might not result in the actual decrease in gas prices or increase of alternative fuel and energy production. But in the recent times, the real reason for such a high debate on the offshore drilling aspect has been to use it merely as a strategy and a negotiation tool.
This approach and application of this strategy is something that neither I, nor people like who think that offshore drilling has more negative effects then positive, have a problem with. I do have a problem however with how offshore drilling is portrayed as the savior for the American dependency on foreign oil. Its like love is cast off…...

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References

Daniels, B. Offshore Drilling: Pros and Cons. 2008.Taken from:  http://www.411mania.com/politics/columns/81832 

Gertz, E. Can Offshore Drilling Really Make the U.S. Oil Independent? Even if U.S. energy policy goes "drill baby drill," there will be no escape from the vicissitudes of the global oil market. Scientific American. 2008.

Gross, D. Drilling for Answers: Will we find the oil we need offshore? Newsweek, 18-06-2008.

Parsley, J. Wellington chamber weighs pros, cons of offshore drilling. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 2008.

The workforce should be clear about the implementation of technologies for protecting natural resources, through formulating strategies.
atification of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 1984 Protocols

Domestic legislation on compensation and liability is needed to implement two IMO protocols related to compensation and liability. The United States should ratify the 1984 Protocols to the 1969 Civil Liability and the 1971 Fund Conventions. Expeditious ratification is essential to ensure international agreement on responsibilities associated with oil spills around the world' (A eport to the President: Executive Summary).

Introduction of Safeguards

It is imperative to establish such environmental safeguards so as to minimize the possibility of oil spillage, by improving transportation, production, storing facilities. 'The infrequency of major oil spills in recent years contributed to the complacency that exacerbated the effect of the Exxon Valdez spill' (CNN: Exxon found guilty).

Legislation on liability and compensation is needed

The Exxon Valdez incident has highlighted many problems associated with…...

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References

Michael Baffrey, Contracting Officer's, Technical Representative U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Environmental Studies Section., Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Cleanup, and Litigation: A Collection of Social-Impacts Information and Analysis.

Science and Transportation United States. Congress Senate Committee on Commerce, United States Congress, Exxon Oil Spill: Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Phillip Margulies., The EXXON Valdez Oil Spill.

Peter G. Wells., EXXON Valdez Oil Spill: fate and effects in Alaskan waters.

However, this calmness did not translate into crisis management success. Although BP seemed to not be significantly affected by the situation, Hayward stated that the company was overwhelmed by the media attention. The former CEO blames the press for the image that the public has formed on the company in response to its handling of the situation.
The control that the company was supposed to reveal did not match the intensity of the crisis. BP did not show that it fully controlled the situation. The fact that the company tried to share the blame with the rig owner and the drilling company reveals the fact that the company was not in control of the situation. The numerous attempts and strategies that the company developed and implemented in order to stop or reduce the oil spill also prove the lack of control from BP.

The lack of control showed by BP can…...

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Reference list:

1. Fitzgerald, a. (2010). BP Had Prepared for Oil Spill 10 Times Golf Disaster, Permit Plans Say. Bloomberg. Retrieved March 4, 2011 from  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-05-31/bp-told-u-s-it-could-handle-oil-spill-10-times-larger-than-gulf-disaster.html .

2. Raines, B. (2010). BP Told Feds it Could Handle Oil Spill 60 Times Larger Than Deepwater Horizon. Retrieved March 5, 2011 from  http://blog.al.com/live/2010/05/bp_told_feds_it_could_handle_o.html .

3. BP Ex-Chief Admits Company Was Ill-Prepared to Handle Oil Spill (2010). Empowered News. Retrieved March 5, 2011 from  http://empowerednews.net/bp-ex-chief-admits-company-was-ill-prepared-to-handle-oil-spill/183629/ .

4. Moore, K. (2010). Integrated Marketing Communications. Retrieved March 5, 2011 from  http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Integrated_Marketing_Communications_-_5_Primary_Communication_Tools.html .

Environmental Science class.. Title the Oil Industry Environment
APA Guidelines format 4-6 References I 4-6 Pages ritten text photos / data tables

The effects of the Oil Industry on the Environment

In spite of the fact that society has experienced significant moral progress in the recent decades, people continue to associate well-being with financial profits regardless of the effects that their actions have on society and this is reflected by the fact that the oil industry has inflicted great damage on the environment in the last few years. The fact that society has come to depend on oil makes it especially difficult for someone to experience positive results as a result of criticizing individuals involved in the oil business. Communities who have access to free oil wells are privileged and society has virtually learnt to exploit any oil source that it can possibly find. This has devastating consequences on the environment, considering…...

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Works cited:

Ali-Akpajiak, Sofo, C.A. Pyke, Toni, "Measuring poverty in Nigeria," (Oxfam, 2003)

Struzik, Ed, "Killing Wolves: A Product ofAlberta's Big Oil and Gas Boom," retrieved March 29, 2012, from the Yale Environment 360 Website:  http://e360.yale.edu/feature/alberta_canada_energy_boom_places_wolves_in_the_crosshairs/2459/ 

Taylor, Dorcetta, E. "Environment and Social Justice: An International Perspective," (Emerald Group Publishing, 2010)

McQuaid, John, "The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill:An Accident Waiting to Happen" retrieved March 29, 2012, from the Yale Environment 360 Website:  http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_gulf_of_mexico_oil_spill_an_accident_waiting_to_happen/2272/

Gulf Spill
In the wake of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, about thirty percent of the oil, and "the most volatile fraction" of it, evaporated in a period of about ten hours (Handwerk, 2011). This was the primary aerosol emanation Another ten to twenty percent evaporated over the course of the next few days, and those turned into a wide plume of aerosol that was later identified as being comprised of intermediate or semi-volatile organic compounds (Xie, 2011). This secondary aerosol was composed of both light and heavy types of hydrocarbons, which have contributed to air pollution over a wide area (Handwerk, 2011). Ironically, the pattern of aerosol evaporation from the oil spill has advanced scientific understanding of how secondary aerosols form after the initial chemical conversion from their most volatile compounds (Xie, 2011). According to the EPA (2014), in addition to volatile organic compounds, the oil spill released…...

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References

Handwerk, B. (2011). Gulf oil spill helps explain air pollution mystery. National Geographic News. Retrieved online:  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110310-gulf-oil-spill-air-pollution-science-nation/ 

National Wildlife Federation (2014). How Does the BP Oil Spill Impact Wildlife and Habitat? Retrieved online:  http://www.nwf.org /What-We-Do/Protect-Habitat/Gulf-Restoration/Oil-Spill/Effects-on-Wildlife.aspx

Radermacher, M. (n.d.). Bioremediation of marine oil spills. Retrieved online:  http://home.eng.iastate.edu/~tge/ce421-521/matt-r.pdf 

Stewart, R.R. (2005). Atmospheric structure and pollution sources. Retrieved online: Atmospheric Structure and Pollution Sources. Retrieved online:  http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-book/atmosphere.html

Preventing Spills With Countermeasures
Every manufacturing facility that is dealing with potentially hazardous or toxic materials should, in all good faith, have a Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plan. There are several key components of such a plan, including dedicated phone numbers for emergency and specific personnel responsible for answering them. (EPA, 2002). Having such a plan should be considered just another operating expense for the manufacturing entity, much like any other cost associated with maintaining such a plant. In fact, the pros of such a plan drastically outweigh the cons. Disadvantages of such a plan are primarily centered around its cost. That cost both pertains to the initial construction of the plan and the updates to it that are necessary to account for every process change. Moreover, that cost factors both into monetary factors as well as those pertaining to time, energy, and human labor to revise the plan…...

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References

EPA. (2002). Spill prevention, control and countermeasures (SPCC) plan. www.epa.gov. Retrieved from  http://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-05/documents/marina-sample-spcc-plan-200201.pdf 

EPA. (2015). Oil spill prevention and preparedness regulations. www.epa.gov Retrieved from  http://www.epa.gov/oil-spills-prevention-and-preparedness-regulations

## Road Accidents: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention Strategies

### Causes of Road Accidents

Human Factors: Driver distraction, speeding, fatigue, impairment, and aggressive driving.
Vehicle Factors: Mechanical failures, defective components, and inadequate maintenance.
Road Conditions: Poor visibility, slippery surfaces, inadequate signage, and dangerous road design.
Environmental Factors: Weather conditions, visibility, and wildlife hazards.
Technological Factors: Malfunctioning traffic control systems or lack of advanced safety features.

### Consequences of Road Accidents

Human Toll: Injuries, disabilities, and fatalities.
Economic Burden: Medical expenses, lost productivity, property damage, and infrastructure costs.
Social Impact: Grief, trauma, and community disruption.
Environmental Damage: Air pollution, oil spills, and habitat fragmentation.
....

I. Introduction
A. Define fossil fuels and discuss their geological origins
B. State the thesis statement: The impacts of fossil fuel consumption on environmental and societal well-being are multifaceted and profound.

II. Environmental Impacts of Fossil Fuel Consumption
A. Air pollution:
1. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming
2. Particulate matter and respiratory problems
3. Acid rain and ecosystem damage
B. Water pollution:
1. Oil spills and marine ecosystems
2. Coal mining and water contamination
3. Fracking and groundwater depletion
C. Land degradation:
1. Deforestation for fuel extraction
2. Mining scars and habitat loss
3. Agricultural impacts of climate change

III. Societal Impacts of Fossil Fuel Consumption
A. Energy security:
1. Dependence on foreign imports
2. Geopolitical conflicts....

Cyanobacteria as Bioindicator in Marine Water Pollution
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are a group of photosynthetic bacteria that are commonly found in marine environments. These organisms have been widely recognized as bioindicators of water quality due to their sensitivity to environmental changes and their ability to respond rapidly to pollution.
Numerous studies have shown that the presence of cyanobacteria in marine waters can be used to indicate the presence of pollutants such as nutrients, heavy metals, and organic contaminants. For example, high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in marine waters can lead to the proliferation of cyanobacterial blooms, which are....

1. Real-time data collection: Underwater wireless sensor networks can collect and transmit data in real-time, providing researchers with up-to-date information on ocean conditions and marine life.

2. Increased coverage: Traditional monitoring methods are limited by the size and capabilities of research vessels. Underwater sensor networks can cover a larger area and provide a more comprehensive view of the ocean environment.

3. Cost-effective: Maintaining underwater sensor networks may be more cost-effective than traditional methods, as they require less human intervention and can operate for extended periods of time without the need for frequent maintenance.

4. Environmental impact: By reducing the need for invasive research....