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Oil is a large industry today and is the wheel behind many large economies. Today, huge investments in the oil sector are made through small and large investors. Fluctuation in oil price trigger reactions in other commercial industries. There is great care taken to maintain the balance between production and demand so that the oil prices do not become volatile. There are huge stakes by foreign companies in the oil sector in the form of oil investments. It is a full fledged industry that reaches to all corners of the world. Even individual investors can profit from this sector by making an oil investment in the form of shares of an oil company. However, recently this industry has been much in the news regarding oil spills and how it is adversely affecting the marine life in the oceans. Oil spills create a cover of slick on the surface of the ocean. This is harmful and disruptive to the marine life thriving in the ocean. It takes days to clean the oil spill and usually by then much of the marine life suffers due to man’s negligence. Cleaning oil spills is toxic to humans and doing it with 100 percent efficiency is nearly impossible. The aquatic life has to suffer for a long time as a consequence of the layer of slick formed on the surface of the ocean. Even a single barrel of oil covers a large area of the water in a matter of days due to the wind. It can spread like a wildfire even before the cleanup starts which leads to long term damage to the marine environment. It can easily find its way to the connecting water bodies and thus enlarge the adverse affects of the spill. Corals and fish are at extreme risk from oil spills. When consumed it has poisonous affects leading to death and it also moves up the food chain. The slick oil sticks to the feathers of the water birds and drags them down, rendering then incapable of flight. The insulating capacity of the birds is also hampered which often leads to hypothermia. Similarly seals are also stripped of their insulation gear as the oil sticks to their fur. Moreover, it also affects the human community living near the shores and who is dependent on fishing for their livelihood. Tests are being carried out today to find an oil cleaning method that is effective and also carries no risk to the human population. However, more effort needs to go in preventing oil spills. Kyles Humphrey is a knowledgeable journalist in oil related fields, who periodically writes articles related to oil prices & indexes and crude oil including tips on investment in oil. Please visit oil.com for more details.
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