On July 25th, 2020, the Japanese tanker MV Wakashio believed to be carrying around 4000 tonnes of oil ran aground the coast of Mauritius. About 1000 tonnes of oil has already leaked and caused extensive damage (Burke, 2020). The Mauritian government has declared this event a national state of emergency.
Oil spills are catastrophic events. In the case of an oil spill, the impacts are extensive – from marine life to the country’s economy. Anthropogenic change is real; sea levels are rising, oceans are acidifying, global temperatures are increasing, there are more droughts and famine all over the world – when are we going to make the shift to renewables so we can prevent further damage and disasters like these? The recent catastrophe in Mauritius has raised a lot of questions in my mind, and I am going to delve into these and investigate this unfortunate event through the means of this article.
The remnants of an oil spill remain in the ocean for years. In 2010, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico leaked “more than 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools of oil in the Gulf’s waters, making it the biggest oil spill in US history” (Borunda, 2020). Six years after that oil spill, disaster still persists – “10% of the entire seafloor in the Gulf of Mexico is currently covered in a mat of oil and toxic dispersants that continues to contaminate marine life throughout the food web.” (Cousteau, 2016). What is worse is that the spill in Mauritius has impacted two areas of marine conservation: The Blue Bay Marine Park and Ile aux Aigrettes nature reserves (Burke, 2020). The Mauritian landscape is a home for the highly endangered pink pigeon and giant tortoises (Burke, 2020). In addition, the Blue Bay Marine Park is known for the biodiversity of its variety of species. Due to the spill, it has already been declared that activists have found dead eels, starfish, seabirds and crabs, and yet, the damage that continues to grow (Burke, 2020). Concern also looms over mangroves, which are the main habitat for fish. The oil could settle into the areas around the roots of the trees and slowly seep into the bodies of fish, larvae and crabs making it difficult for them to respire. Furthermore, corals could get damaged and this in turn increases the risk of ocean acidification which makes the area more vulnerable. "The toxic hydrocarbons released from spilled oil will bleach the coral reefs and they will eventually die," claims Professor Richard Steiner, an international oil spill adviser and marine biologist in Alaska, US (Khadka, 2020). Not only does this spill burden the marine ecosystem, it also destroys the livelihood of local fisherman who rely on the ocean for their business. Additionally, it also causes a downfall in the tourism industry since most people would not like to visit an area with a devastated landscape.
Activists and volunteers in Mauritius have already started their clean-up efforts. Human hair is supposed to be highly effective in absorbing oil. During the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, nylon stockings stuffed with human hair have been used to soak up oil (Valenti, 2020). Interestingly, human hair is said to hold up to nine times its weight in oil (Valenti, 2020). In fact, hundreds of hair salons in Mauritius have started donating hair to remove as much oil as possible from the ocean. Some hair salons are also offering discounts on haircuts for their clients and donating the hair to the volunteers who are using it to make booms (Valenti, 2020). An advantage of using booms is that they are sustainable, reusable, and biodegradable, which means there is no long-term harm to our planet, especially marine life in this case. Another innovative initiative taken by wedding photographers in Mauritius is the use of drones. Using their skills of flying drones and taking the perfect photographs, the drone pilots are able to fly their drones to identify the areas where residue exists and co-ordinate with the army and volunteers who are helping with clean-up operations (Degnarain, 2020). Taking simple steps like these and coming together as a community really shows the spirit of harmony of people who are willing to take the effort and make a difference for their country.
This brings me to all the questions I have been pondering on. Firstly, when are we going to switch to renewables? In all these years, there has not been a single environmental advantage of consuming fossil fuels. We have seen disasters such as oil spills, an increase in air pollution, degradation of air quality and mining explosions. How long is it going to take for us to make the change? In Iceland, almost 100% of the energy is generated from renewables such as hydropower and geothermal power (Government of Iceland, n.d.). Secondly, when will we develop sustainable technology? Oil spills have recently become a very common disaster, but still, we do not have any solutions to clean up the environment and save marine life from further damage. It is a well-known fact that oil spreads over a large area quickly due to the fast-moving ocean currents. Therefore, clean-up operations must be deployed immediately. Although human hair and booms do help with absorption of oil, they are not completely effective and are only temporary solutions. Finally, environmental disasters like these show how Indigenous island communities are impacted from oil spills and climate change. Fishermen cannot continue their jobs as their local source of food is not safe to consume and, contributing to that, the local economy and tourism sector are destroyed. Now, it is solely up to us to make sure our voices are heard and to reinforce the transition to renewable energy and live a more sustainable life and ensure a cleaner future.
Written By: Tanishka Mehta
References:
Borunda, A. (2020, April 20). We still don't know the full impacts of the BP oil spill, 10 years later. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/bp-oil-spill-still-dont-know-effects-decade-later/
Burke, J. (2020, August 16). Experts and volunteers scramble to save Mauritius's wildlife after oil spill. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/16/experts-and-volunteers-scramble-to-save-mauritiuss-wildlife-after-oil-spill
Cousteau, J. (2016, April 20). Six Years After the Worst Oil Spill in American History, What Is Going on in the Gulf? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.oceanfutures.org/news/blog/six-years-after-worst-oil-spill-in-american-history
Degnarain, N. (2020, August 16). How Wedding Drone Photographers In Mauritius Are Helping Coordinate Oil Spill Cleanup Efforts. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/nishandegnarain/2020/08/15/how-wedding-drone-photographers-in-mauritius-are-helping-coordinate-oil-spill-cleanup-efforts/
Government of Iceland. (n.d.). Energy. Retrieved from https://www.government.is/topics/business-and-industry/energy/
Khadka, N. S. (2020, August 13). Why the Mauritius oil spill is so serious. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53754751
Valenti, L. (2020, August 13). How Hair Salons Are Mobilizing to Help Clean Up the Mauritius Oil Spill. Retrieved from: https://www.vogue.com/article/mauritius-oil-spill-human-hair-donation-haircuts-salons