One Year Later: Lessons of the Gulf Oil Spill
More than four million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico during the 87-day period following the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, 2010.
The explosion, which happened one year ago today, took the lives of 11 workers and would eventually lead to the worst maritime oil spill in history. At one point during the clean-up, more than 47,000 workers and 7,000 ships were involved in trying to contain the damage. The eyes of the world watched—and they are still watching as we learn about the ongoing impacts of the spill.
Shortly after the start of the disaster, Project Learning Tree (PLT) produced a guide for educators who wanted to teach about the oil spill. The guide connects PLT activities with online resources to assist educators in developing lesson plans and classroom activities to use with their students.
The environmental and social effects of the Gulf oil spill will draw the attention of educators for years to come, as scientists continue to learn more about the Deepwater Horizon blowout and its impacts over time.
Where did all the oil go? What are the impacts on wildlife? What are the future impacts? Who was responsible? Who should pay for the damage? Should society allow deep-sea drilling for oil? How can society meet the needs of long-term energy supply? How can we as citizens help?
On the one-year anniversary of the incident, we have updated our list of online sources of information. From reports on the research, to results of surveys, Google maps of data and lists of organisms affected, the updated guide PLT Activity Connections to the Gulf Oil Spill provides a wealth of information for educators to use with their students.
Young people must better understand the connections among the world’s natural resources, energy and human activities. Education can help the next generation of leaders evaluate risk associated with activities such as drilling for oil and destruction and fragmentation of wildlife habitats, so as to never again recognize an oil spill’s one-year anniversary.
View the PDF "PLT Activity Connections to the Gulf Oil Spill".
Photo credit: NASA
