The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred on the 24th of March 1989 in Prince William Sound in Alaska. The Exxon Valdez an oil tanker was on route to Long Beach, California when it hit the Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. The accident caused between 11-38 million gallons of crude oil to spill into the ocean in the next few days. Response to the disaster was slow due to Prince William Sound only being reachable by boat, helicopter, or plane. The identified causes of the spill are (1) The failure of Exxon to oversee the master, along with ensuring there was sufficient crew and that they were rested and prepared for the trip (2) Due to fatigue or possibly an excessive amount of responsibility the third mate did not maneuver the ship properly. (3) On top of this the RAYCAS radar was not functional, as it had not been for over a year because Exxon felt that it was too expensive to fix. Had the RAYCAS radar been operational the third mate would have been able to see Bligh Reef.
After the accident Congress approved the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990. The act required the Coast Guard to improve its regulation of oil tankers along with regulations on the owners and operators of the tankers. Thus, the following regulations were put in place. (1) The OPA passed a law declaring that any ship the has been the cause of more than 1 million gallons of oil being spelt anywhere there is marine life were prohibited after 1989 from entering Prince William Sound. In 1998 Exxon filed legal action arguing that the legislation was directed at Exxon and that they should be allowed to return to Prince William Sound. They were subsequently ruled against. Also, there have been 18 ships that were prohibited from entering Prince William Sound since 2002 (2) The OPA also put in place a timeline for a double hull design to be implemented for all oil tankers. This would ensure that there is another layer between the oil and the ocean decreasing the amount of oil that would contaminate the Ocean in a spill.
Sustainability
Sustainability is the concept that everything that humankind does has an impact on the natural environment. Therefore, it is necessary to take steps to lessen the damage that were inflict on nature, so that both humankind and nature can continue to grow and benefit future generations as was essentially stated by the EPA when it was created in 1969. All products that are used by humankind have some kind of impact on the environment. The intent of sustainability practices is to lessen the impact as much as possible by identifying major causes of pollution and executing strategies to combat the issue.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique that looks at the life cycle of a product from the “cradle to the grave”. The Purpose of using LCA is to prevent organizations and people from taking a narrow view on environmental issues by helping to (1) Assess the possible effects that are acknowledged within the information provided on the product and the company (2) Examining and construing the information given in order to make an educated decision regarding the environmental impact of the product (3) Gathering a catalogue of pertinent information regarding the product and its possible effect on the environment. Once that information on the products is gathered and assessed in regards to the process it takes to create the product along with the potential energy usage in both manufacturing and using the product. Finally, it looks at the type and amount of waste that is created by the manufacturing of the product. The evaluations done by the LCA can help companies identify where there is a need for improvement in regards to the environment. It can also help them when it comes to providing environmental information about the product to the government and the public.
There has been increased concern in the engineering, governmental, and scientific communities regarding the need to address the issues that come with the advancement of technology and industry. Such issues like global warming has caused heightened concern regarding the depletion of the ozone layer and the melting of the polar ice caps. This is because as the sea level rises many coastal cities are potentially at risk and many have already sunk considerably in the past 100 years or so. For engineers the need to establish a code of ethics in regard to the environment has been addressed by the engineering society NSPE. In the NPSE bylaws under Professional Obligations it states “Engineers shall at all times strive to serve the public interest” (Case 39). This speaks of the intent of NSPE and engineers to work to provide methods of sustainable development while at the same time protecting the environment. This is a responsibility that does not just belong to engineers, but to business leader, citizens, economists and the government as well.
Ethics can be applied to the cause of sustainability by reporting anything that one might conceive as being harmful to the environment or life. Finding ethical and sustainable ways to create products and improve industry should not rest solely on engineers and the government. It is the responsibility of individuals in many different scientific, business and engineering fields to work together in order to come up with solutions. The reason for this is that the issue of sustainability crosses many fields of research. Meaning that it is important to work together across fields to find ethical and sustainable ways to lessen the environmental impact of industry. While doing this there must be consideration paid to both the community and culture in which the changes are being put into place. This is also beneficial in increasing solidarity and sustainability in areas that are still developing.
Works Cited
Harris, Charles “Case 39: Sustainability” Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases. 2008. PDF
EPA. "Learn About Sustainability | Sustainability | US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. N.p., 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Aug. 2016.
Jones, Walter B. "H.R.1465 - 101st Congress (1989-1990): Oil Pollution Act of 1990." Congress.gov | Library of Congress. N.p., 16 Mar. 1989. Web. 21 Aug. 2016.
United States History. "Exxon Valdez Oil Spill." United States American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2016.
World Resource Foundation. "Life Cycle Analysis and Assessment." GDRC | The Global Development Research Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2016.
