Sep 1, 2015 THE Deepwater Horizon oil spill was one of the world’s worst environmental disasters. An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, causing a huge oil spill that flowed for 87 days. For weeks our screens were filled with images of sea birds coated in oil, brown waves crashing on polluted beaches, and huge boats with giant water cannons dwarfed by the endless plume of black smoke rising from the sea. Eleven lives were lost in the accident, and countless others were turned upside down in the aftermath. Many communities on the coastlines of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Florida will never be the same. It was America’s worst environmental disaster, one the operator barely recovered from. Five years on, those responsible for letting 4.9 million barrels of oil escape into the sea are at it again. This time, they’re a lot closer to home. In pristine waters off the Great Australian Bight, BP is hovering over a goldmine. The potential for profit is enormous, but so too is the potential for disaster. Could disaster happen in Australia? BP says it will never happen again but those who dedicate their lives to protecting the natural environment say safety is impossible to guarantee.
