Gulf Disaster Underscores Limited Capacity of Private, Public and Social Sectors

By Barbara Zaha on Justmeans
July 9th, 2010
(source)

Approaching the 90th day of the crisis, our collective consciousness has become desensitized to haunting images of oil-laden, suffering marine and wild life, decimated coastlines and devastated communities, while incomprehensible quantities of oil and chemical dispersants continue to deluge the Gulf unabated. This unprecedented environmental catastrophe casts a light on the severe limitations, be they by design or choice, of the private sector, multi-nationals corporations in particular, the public sector, or even the third sector, social enterprise, in resolving the greatest challenges and threats to our planet.

Activists from across the nation united in Louisiana at the epicenter of the disaster to hold a Gulf Emergency Summit and founded a grassroots organization, the Emergency Committee to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster (www.stopgulfoildisaster.org). They emphasize the lack of a complete, coherent picture of the extent of the unprecedented damage - environmental, economic and social - as undermining the response effort, while preventing the most effective and critically needed response from occurring. The limited details which have been made available are all framed by BP in collaboration with the government; both the private and political sector feverishly pursuing their own best interests.

According to author, Revolution correspondent, and activist Larry Everest, this systematical lack of a comprehensive assessment and overview is intentional. "The gulf disaster is a horrible example of how the capitalist system, with its relentless pursuit of profitability, global reach, supremacy and political power intermix to create unimaginable, far-reaching devastation," said Everest.

Citing BP's self serving corporate interests, activists noted initial clean-up crews were not even provided respirators to protect their own health. An obvious conclusion for this dangerous, detrimental oversight would be short-term cost savings. Sparing the multinational oil giant even further notoriety with horrific images of masked crews working along ravaged shorelines, however, demonstrates the corporation's priorities of protecting its public relations above doing further harm. Working in tandem with an Administration desperate to simultaneously appease its corporate supporters while generating positive political spin, through manipulation or suppression if necessary, serves to paralyze people with complacency in thinking the maximum response has been generated or overwhelming them with a sense of inability, helplessness, to initiate an alternate response. "'Authorities' are preventing people from stopping this, from saving as much of the ocean, shoreline, fauna and wildlife as possible," explained Everest.

Despite the suppression of information, what is known of the epic crisis is that the wellhead has been acutely, irreversibly damaged; the dispersant initially used in response to millions of gallons of oil inundating the region has created additional environmental and health problems; the deep ocean impact will take generations to recover, if ever; and, literally millions of gallons of oil continue to threaten the ocean, shoreline, marine and wildlife, not to mention a proportionate impact on human health and the economy.

Activists on-site in Louisiana have united to demand full disclosure, accountability and urgent recovery efforts in proportion to the extensive short-term and long-term damage from the oil gusher. They describe the initial response offered thus far by BP and/or the Administration as "pathetic" or "squandered."

Everest maintains, "Results will continue to be limited unless we change the political terrain, which has paralyzed people or limited their response to acting only in small ways." According to Everest, the Mission of the new Emergency Committee is to magnify independent political action by the people to create a society-wide response to the disaster. Applauding the success of the Hands across the Sands effort in galvanizing people around the globe to generate a response to the crisis, Everest urges independents mass action continue to ensure a stop to the catastrophe and maximize the urgently needed recovery, repair and healing process to begin.

"People have to demand the truth. People have to try on every front to mount a defense. We must act on an emergency basis because the impact from all of this will last for decades and generations to come," concluded Everest.

The scope of utter destruction created by the BP oil spill is too severe to even think in terms of a proverbial "silver lining." Nevertheless, this unprecedented environmental, corporate and political tragedy my succeed where the 2000 election, 9/11, and the Wall Street bailout did not in reaching a critical tipping point to serve as a catalyst for positive, sustainable, systemic change through independent political action.