Argumentative speech
Introduction
Attention grabbing device- rhetorical questions.
Good morning teachers and students.
Did you know that for the U.S alone there are currently 1.3 million gallons of oil leaking
into the ocean at this very moment? And the past decade alone there were 62 oil spills
resulting in 164000 tons of oil spewing into oceans around the world?
Oil spill, as defined by Environmental Pollution Centers, is an accidental release of oil
into a body of water, as from a tanker, offshore drilling rig, or underwater pipeline, often
presenting a hazard to marine life and the environment.
Rationale
As a prospective Environmental Lawyer, I am a huge advocate for a green and clean
environment and have always been dedicated to spreading awareness on concerning
issues.
Thesis
Oils spills are environmental and economical tragedies that require intense precaution
and clean up measures.
Discussion of issues
The type of expository writing used is classification and division.
There have been many disastrous oil spills in history to date, however, the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is regarded as the worst oil spill in U.S history. On
the day 20th April 2010, the Deepwater oil rig owned and operated by Transocean Ltd
but leased to BP Oil Company had an explosion caused by an eruption of oil and gas.
Not only did 11 workers die and 17 were injured but 1300 miles of the U.S Gulf Coast
was covered in thick black oil that was spewing into the gulf at a peaked amount of
60,000 barrels per day!
Additionally, the consequences on the environment were dire, an average 800,000 birds
and 65,000 turtles died, 134 to 206 million gallons of oil were released into the gulf and
destroyed deep-sea ecosystems. The Deepwater oil rig explosion, upon thorough
investigation, was found to be caused by a series of small mistakes, misjudgments and
cutting corners on the part of the oil giant BP, the sixth-largest oil company in the world
at that time.
As seen time and time again in most man-made disasters, speed was favored over
safety as small inconveniences were overlooked. The University of California- Centre
for Catastrophic Risk Management concluded that “this disaster was preventable if
existing progressive guidelines and practices were followed”. BP was fined over 65
billion dollars in settlement to persons harmed and the environment. The BP oil spill was
so massive that it required the largest possible natural resource damage assessment
ever done!
According to Oil Change International (2015), oil giant BP paid nearly $21 billion to
settle its dispute with US Federal and State authorities over the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill, it is the biggest pollution fine in US history. In the settlement, BP paid a record $5.5
billion fine under the Clean Water Act. The oil company was given between 15-18 years
to pay. Within this time, the oil was still leaking into the Gulf because solutions were yet
to be found and BP was yet to settle its debt. Until today, the Gulf of Mexico and
surrounding communities still feel the effects of the BP Oil Spill.
This leaves us to look to our beautiful oil and gas nation. Guyana should better prepare
itself for such a potential economic crisis that can leave us in a worst financial state than
we were before the oil and cause drastic damages to our environment.
Furthermore, the effects on the environment are negatively impactful for a very long
period. Measures can be adopted that can either prevent oil spills from happening
altogether or they can provide a degree of damage control. These will require
preparedness and also continuous improvement in every phase of operation where oil is
produced, transported, stored or even marketed. Oil exploration and production facilities
should adopt advanced technologies, materials and also practices. They should also
ensure that they have multi backup systems for support in case of anything. Also,
Guyana needs to establish an environmental fund and strengthen our National Oil Spill
Contingency Plan. These measures are necessary to ensure that Guyana’s
environment, economy, and people are sufficiently protected from such a calamity as an
oil spill.
Evaluation of two sources used in the speech/research
In gathering relevant information, I would have used various sources. A few were found
to highly reliable and credible while others are questionable. A video published on April
30th, 2018 by the Department of Public Information on Oil spill training was used to
gather information. This video was deemed credible and reliable since it was published
by DPI which is a government department. The video was published within the past five
years so the information is deemed recent and accurate.
The University of California- Centre for Catastrophic Risk Management’s review of the
BP oil spill disaster was a credible paper since it was published by a renowned and
prominent institution of research. The data is also considered reliable since the
university would have carried out an unbiased and thorough investigation of the BP oil
spill. The persons at the university carrying out the research possess the qualifications
and experience which authorizes them to make the conclusions that were made.
Challenges of research
In carrying out this research I would have encountered a few minor difficulties, namely;
difficulty in preparing the factual presentation due to unavailability of sources that
contained relevant information. Additionally, primary sources were hard to find and
gather and secondary sources were hard to determine their credibility and reliability.
Conclusion
In his address to the state, President of Guyana, David Granger said, “petroleum is
ephemeral, the environment is eternal”. Oil spills destroy ecosystems and negatively
impact economies. To sufficiently prepare for an oil spill by all possible measures,
allows a country to be able to adequately protect its; people, environment, and
economy.
Ill check this again on Sunday at 5 am.
