Curtis Scott Johnson: Love Canal Report

Curtis Scott Johnson

The following are the comments I received based on the Love Canal Tragedy and the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010 answering, Environmental tragedies still exist today; what can we do today to mitigate these problems?

1.      I can’t believe that something so tragic could still happen today. Especially from man-made interventions. I think that more engineers should be involved as they continue to expand the oil industry in our oceans.

2.      It seems as though most people are still not willing to follow procedures to prevent disasters like this from happening. Oil spills don’t happen every day because most oil rigs are following the guidelines and rules which have been put in place.

3.      The love canal was all over the news. I remember thinking that we would be a lot more careful from then on in order to avoid future disasters. We still have a long way to go.

4.      I heard about a man in Canada who has started using wax in order to enclose oil spills.

5.      I bet that the rig that had the spill didn’t meet qualifications and standards of law.

6.      My co-worker sent me some pictures from the oil spill. The explosion and flames looked pretty cool, but I can’t believe that simple mistakes like this still happen today.

7.      All I can say is that it is time for us to start searching for alternate sources of energy. We continually to abuse what resources we know are available.

8.      I feel so bad for all the animals and people who have been harmed in these disasters. At least there is good soap, Dawn, to help clean the animals.

9.      In a way, I am glad that things like this happen because it shows us that we are pushing too far. The sad part is that it affects so many people (and wildlife) who play no part in the bad pursuits and decisions that are made.

10.  Ever since the love canal, I have always suspected that we would encounter more disasters, but I assumed they would continue to decrease in magnitude. I think I have been wrong all along.

My personal thoughts:

·         In your opinion are environmental hazards something we should be concerned about on a daily basis?

o   I believe that we should be concerned about environmental hazards on a daily basis. When we stop caring and don’t think about what may come as a consequence of our actions, disaster strikes. I believe that if many more people were concerned about environmental hazards at the time of these disasters, certain steps could have prevented them from happening, or at least have minimized the damage these disasters caused.

·         Why should we care about something that happened over 30 years ago?

o   We should care about things that happened over 30 years ago because they provide valuable lessons for us in our time. Some people are reluctant to give heed to messages and lessons from the past, but history tends to repeat itself. Regardless of the progress man makes in technology, medicine, or any other field, there are always disasters, war, and mistakes. If we remember the past and pay attention to what it teaches, we can avoid many problems today.

·         Were you aware that environmental tragedies of this magnitude still exist today?

o   I was aware that environmental tragedies still happen, but I never thought about how much they really affect the world we live in. I don’t hear about environmental tragedies occurring too often, but when they do they are always very expensive and hard, if not impossible, to remedy. I think that if more people become aware of the threat and hazards of environmental tragedies today, we could avoid future disasters.