One Step Closer to Destruction

On October 11, 2011 an oil spill from MV Rena became New Zealand's worst environmental disaster. The ship stranded off the coast of Tauranga is just another case of human impact on our planet. Even though it may not have been intentional, it is something else that humans have to take responsibility for. Over 1700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 200 tonnes of marine diesel were contained on that ship. Wildlife were covered in oil and the fishing areas were filled with the hazardous material. 

Although this happened in just one country, the impact spreads everywhere. Humans rely on nature. We would be nothing without it. It's a wonder why we don't take precautions to avoid situations such as these from occurring. We learn from a young age that the ecosystem is fragile. When one species dies then another one dies with it. Then another one expires too. And so on and so forth. This oil spill isn't just a human problem. The most anybody thinks about is the monetary cost of this disaster. But they need to focus on the animals and plants that have become the victims too. 

In a way, this is an event that can have both a good and bad influence on humans. It's bad for obvious reasons, environmental damage being a major one. But it's good in that it's a wake up call for everyone on this earth. When the oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico occurred, people began to take into account that they are not the only inhabitants of this planet. Maybe this event gave the same message.