the cost of comfort

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has gotten a lot of attention, rightfully so. But, there's another spill that's been happening for decades and it seems that few are concerned. "Nigeria has suffered oil spills equivalent to that of the Exon Valdez every year since 1969". 

The Center for Global Development says: In 2006, it was reported that 500 million gallons of oil—a quantity not that different from the new estimates of the Gulf leak –has been spilt in the Delta over the past 50 years. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp estimates that some 650,000 gallons of oil were spilled in 300 separate incidents each year; other reports indicate that Shell (which is now looking to drill in the Arctic) spilled nearly 4.5 million gallons of oil into the Niger Delta in the last year alone.

What's interesting to me is that most news stories about this crisis will use words like "sabotage", "militants'', and "vandals" to describe the people or actions causing the oil spills. All these words remove the blame from oil companies. Major oil companies are essentially exploiting the resources of other countries and they're not sharing the wealth. Despite Nigeria's wealth of oil, many of its citizen are poor and without the resources they need to live. Some even risk their lives for a bucket of oil. In 2006 a pipeline exploded, killing 150 after a leak attracted a huge group of people. 

The oil companies run their pipelines through towns but leave them undeveloped without power, water, schools, or medical clinics. The people become upset and are essentially forced to rebel. One "militant" group in particular is seeking more. Mend, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, is demanding that the oil companies share a greater percentage of its profits with the locals. It's sad and strange that fighting a corporation can be compared to fighting a war. Citizens are forced to gather weapons and devise tactical ways of winning their cause. 

I think some fail to realize that poverty brings out the worst in many. If you deprive a man of food or a proper way to care for his family, expect the unexpected. How do companies expect people to behave in a civil manner when they have no food or clean water?! How can you expect people to not "sabotage" your pipelines when you have a flow of money running through a poverty stricken village?! With all the oil spilled and lost, it seems it would be smarter for the oil companies to simply do the right thing. 

(Image by Jane Hahn for the New York Times) 

America and other wealthy countries do our dirty work elsewhere and import. We import from countries that arent necessarily concerned with human rights or environmental protection. We simply line up at the pump and complain when the price of petro rises above a certain point. People are dying and starving because of oil production. Some are also getting ridiculously wealthy while blantantly ignoring the poverty their wealth creates. 

It all seems so barbaric to me... the greed of oil companies. It's ironic that some of the world's most wealthy people and corporations behave like scavengers. They're basically stealing from the Earth without the gratitude or decency to care for the people whose land provide their wealth. How do corporations get away with such huge atrocities? In essence, much of America's lifestyle and comfort are gained by exploiting other countries. We live in our lovely bubbles of ignorant bliss and cheap petro while other people are literally dying in the effort to give us a higher standard of living.