The Gulf of Mexico oil spill will affect Europe

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has not only devastated the South Coast of the United States, but has had far-reaching effects across the globe, be it economically impacting on trade, making global oil companies re-evaluate their safety measures and even bolster renewable energy investment. However, according to a top scientist, the oil spill effects could even affect Europe and the Arctic.

Speaking to a congressional panel, Carl Safina, the president of the Blue Ocean Institute told members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee the millions of barrels of oil that have gushed into the Gulf has the potential to cause a potential ecological disaster of unknown proportions.

"This is not just a regional issue for the wildlife," he said, pointing out that common migratory patterns of multiple forms of marine life from across the Atlantic Ocean "come into the Gulf to breed." Species include the incredibly rare Bluefin tuna, which has only two known breeding grounds, one of which is the Gulf of Mexico.

Clean-up issues

Although BP's current 'Top Kill' method seems to be working at the moment in reducing the amount of oil flowing into the Gulf, Safina was damning of how BP had handled the crisis.

"They seem to have cut corners on some critical junctures. We keep asking their permission to go down and measure the oil that's coming out. ... This mystifies me, because they are on our property now. (They've blown) it in a really huge way. Unfortunately, it's now up to all of us to figure out exactly what to do next."

With currents spreading the oil as far down as Florida and possibly across to Europe. What is worse is that the dispersants that BP has been using to break up the slick have been described as highly toxic by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Slyvia Earle of the National Geographic Society was quoted by Ordons Oil and Gas as saying, "The lack of knowing [the extent of the spill and the damage] is something that we should fear. There is a lack of understanding what the consequences of this action really will be to the ocean and then back to ourselves."

"We don't know effects of dispersants applied a mile underwater. There's been no laboratory testing at all," Earle noted. "The quantity used is likely to be toxic to marine life."

With fish stocks already at risk from overfishing, there are concerns that clean-up efforts could be causing more harm than good and this could affect the entire world, not just the US.

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