Consequences of Oil Not in Our Backyard

NIMBY = Not In My Backyard

NIMBYism is what happens when a homeowner's association or community bands together to protect their property values and environment against an undesirable construction project, power plant, Wal-mart, etc. The downside of this is when the demand for the undesired activity remains, which results in it being installed elsewhere, somewhere with less regulations.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is horrific and of proportions that Americans have never witnessed. But this post is about what happens when oil spills don't happen in our backyard. We don't see the consequences of them, as they are happening somewhere else, to someone else. Unless we (the demand source for energy) curb our oil consumption, NIMBYism will continue to allow this to happen.

These photos show oil pollution in the country of Nigeria - a country rich in oil and other natural resources, but with high poverty levels and limited environmental regulations. People in Nigeria have to live with the long-term consequences of oil pollution.


Listen to the audio clip below, to hear how Nigerians are responding to the cleanup efforts in the Gulf. It is disheartening to realize that oil spills are always happening in Nigeria and without associated cleanup efforts.

Living With Long-Term Oil Pollution in the Niger Delta

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There is another acronym I just ran across, NOPE.

NOPE = Not on Planet Earth

This concept means that rather than pushing the undesirable consequences onto someone else, no one should have to live with undesirable consequences.

While this might be a little naive, given our continuously increasing consumption of energy sources, it is a goal working for - No one should have to live in such conditions, regardless of your income level or political power.

The Eco-Justice Ministries in Denver, Colorado has an interesting article about this concept, which inspired this post. Check it out at http://www.eco-justice.org/E-100507.asp.

Photo sources 1, 2