What is an oil spill? Causes and solutions
Every day, everywhere in the newspaper we look and read, there are problems. That is; The Earth is getting hotter and hotter, the ice is melting more and more, the air is heavily polluted, the water is polluted... What is the question mark that needs to be raised here? It is an environmental problem that has never stopped being "hot" and has never shown any signs of cooling down. Why do we always need to talk about these issues? Because of the current situation, we are suffering heavy consequences from environmental pollution. This is a concern not only for Vietnamese people but for everyone in the world.
1. What is an environmental incident?
An environmental incident is an incident that occurs during human activities or changes in nature, causing serious environmental pollution, degradation or change (Clause 10, Article 3 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2014).
1.1 Natural environment incidents.
- Responsibilities. Natural environmental incidents are all phenomena occurring in the natural environment that are not affected by any conditions from us humans.
- For example. Tides, storms, floods, rain, wind, tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides...
1.2. Incident of artificial environment.
- Responsibilities. Man-made environmental incidents are all phenomena caused by direct or indirect human impact on nature.
- For example. Burning forests, dumping pollution into sea water, littering indiscriminately...
2. Causes of environmental incidents.
Environmental incidents are not born naturally, but are caused by natural environmental factors or by human impacts. There are many causes of environmental problems. But we can divide it into two basic reasons as follows.
2.1. Caused by natural factors.
The first thing we have to mention is that storms, floods, or acid rains… have caused considerable damage to our living environment. There are also prolonged droughts that make the land cracked and the trees dry. And then the high tide causes tsunamis, earthquakes caused by volcanic eruptions. Even worse are fires caused by business accidents, or serious forest fires. It has caused many changes and directly affected our human life.
2.2 Human causes.
Along with economic development and an increasing population, it is the act of massively and uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources. The commune discharges polluted water into rivers, lakes, ponds and streams. Throw trash indiscriminately everywhere. In addition, the system of waste collection and treatment is small and limited.
Another important thing we need to mention is human consciousness. People always have the perception that environmental pollution is a common problem that is not their own, so they have a nonchalant attitude. As for business establishments, they have a subjective attitude, thereby not building infrastructure that is not of good quality in terms of environmental protection. According to statistics, 95% of the causes of environmental incidents such as oil and chemical spills are caused by factories and enterprises not proactively taking preventive measures and not fully equipped with materials to ensure response to incidents. safe.
Part of the reason is because. There is still the viewpoint of prioritizing and attaching importance to economic growth and development, attracting investment at all costs. And disregard environmental protection requirements.
The root cause is that the legal system on environmental protection is still overlapping and inadequate. The management and inspection agencies have not yet promoted their capacity. The system of propaganda and education on environmental awareness and protection is still very limited and has not achieved high results.
3. Consequences of environmental incidents left.
The consequences that oil spills have to say are many and serious. It directly affects the assets of individuals and organizations. And especially affecting the marine environment, land environment, air environment... In addition, it also causes resource depletion and ecological imbalance. And it also directly affects animals, plants, and even human life. Another special thing is that it directly affects the sustainable economic development of our country.
4. Solutions for handling environmental problems.
There are the following basic causes to contribute to the reduction of environmental incidents.
Changing the way people approach information. Business establishments, individuals and organizations need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities. In the protection of the environment. There is a need to be proactive in prevention. For example, the following jobs.
- Detailed planning for prevention and response.
- Install adequate equipment, tools and response facilities.
- Apply safety measures, strictly comply with the provisions of the law on environmental protection.
In addition, it is necessary to improve the system of policies and laws on environmental protection. And strengthen human resources and management capacity in inspection and management.
Promote development and application of modern, environmentally friendly science and technology. Such as low-waste technology, waste recycling…
Promote environmental propaganda and education at all levels and everywhere. Limiting the occurrence of environmental incidents is protecting our own lives.