The recent oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is another shameful chapter in the increasing number of man-made offenses against the environment.

In late April of this year, an explosion aboard BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig resulted in 5,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil being spilled into the Gulf per day. The Deepwater crisis is considered one of the worst in human history. What is even more shameful is that across the Atlantic, there has been an oil crisis that has been raging for 50 years.




Nigeria is among the top 10 oil-exporting countries, right up there with Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Russia and Iran.

Nigeria is also the No. 1 contributor to gas flares in the world. Gas flaring is a technique used in oil production to separate crude oil from the associated gases that are extracted with it. The negative impact to the environment and those in it are that gas flares produce acid rain, among other health hazards. This is sad, since the Niger Delta area is a naturally endowed ecosystem with one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet.

In the Niger Delta region, where the largest flaring operations occur, communities are exposed to these hazardous gas flares on a daily basis. The amount of oil leaked each year from the area's terminals, pipes, pumping stations and oil platforms exceeds the amount spilled by BP in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Niger Delta region supplies nearly half of all the crude oil that the United States imports. For 50 years, this area has suffered the most from oil spills in Nigeria. The Nigerian federal government estimates that there have been 7,000 spills between 1970 and 2000. More than 1,000 cases of oil spillage have been filed against energy and petrochemicals company Shell.

Need or greed?

Oil controls many economies. In the United States, 85 percent of the energy we use comes from natural gas, coal and oil. Solar energy, a viable alternative, contributed to a mere .07 percent of U.S. energy consumption in 2000.

While some push to "fill the gap," or find enough energy sources to meet demand, others are pushing to transition into an economy in which energy needs are reduced to a level that is affordable and satisfied by sustainable-energy resources.

Human Rights in the Niger Delta

On Nov. 10, 1995, writer-activist-journalist-businessman Ken Saro-Wiwa (pictured below) and eight of his colleagues were hanged by the Nigerian military government for campaigning against the devastation of their homeland, the Niger Delta, by oil companies, namely Shell.

Shell began producing oil in the Delta in 1958. In 1970, Ogoni chiefs presented a petition, complaining about the company, which at the time was operating a joint venture with BP. The chiefs felt that their lives were being compromised by oil companies acting on impunity, with little to no regard for the water and air pollution caused by their unethical practices.

The 1990 Ogoni Bill of Rights, signed by Ogoni elders, called for "political control of Ogoni affairs by Ogoni people, control and use of Ogoni economic resources for Ogoni development, adequate and direct representation as of right for Ogoni people in all Nigerian national institutions, and the right to protect the Ogoni environment and ecology from further degradation."

Saro-Wiwa took up the Ogoni cause in the nineties up until his death, and the struggle still continues.

People are living in hazardous environments because of the world's oil addiction. Leaders who compromise the well-being of people for their own selfish gain often bring about disastrous results for entire communities. History reveals this to us.

When the well runs dry

In 1956, the late Dr. M. King Hubbert presented what is known as the "Hubbert Peak" analysis. This analysis predicted that a peak in oil production in the United States would occur around 1970, followed by a permanent decline that would reach its nadir by the year 2000.

If we accept the Hubbert Peak analysis, then we can see that we are in a dire straits: Thirty-three of 48 major oil-producing countries have reached their oil-production peak. The Chinese government predicts a global peak in 2012. Other estimates predict the year 2040. While the date may be in question, once the damage is done, it's done.

When the well runs dry, then what?

We are in a time where petroleum and natural-gas resources are depleting, while the demand for oil continues to rise. How do we plan to combat this decline and when do we plan to take real action on the matter?

Do we really think we can treat the earth in such a careless manner forever without Mother Nature seeking her vengeance?

Archaeologists have noted that many society's have ceased to exist because they depleted their resources without concern or plans for the future (de Winter & Swenson, 'A Wake Up Call,' 2006).

How many times have we been told everything should be in moderation? This message is often overlooked or flat out ignored, because many people are only concerned with the here and now. In what shape are we leaving the planet for successive generations? Are we simply takers or are we leavers on this earth?