BP are hoping that everyone has forgotten about the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year, and are quietly putting in place plans to drill in the deep waters off of the west of Shetland, risking an even bigger disaster.
Unfortunately for BP, we’ve got hold of secret documents which show just how risky and dangerous their plans are. BP admit that if a blow-out were to happen, it would be the world’s biggest pollution disaster.
BP fear that the well could leak 75,000 barrels day for over four months - that’s more than double the size of the Gulf of Mexico spill. An oil slick of this size would seriously threaten the fragile wildlife haven that is the Shetland Islands, as well reaching the shores of Norway.
The Shetlands and the surrounding waters are home to a rich and diverse wildlife – whales, dolphins, otters and many species of bird.
It seems unthinkable that the government is allowing a company that has such a shoddy track record of recklessly cutting corners to put all of this at risk. It's as if Deepwater Horizon never happened.
Our addiction to dirty fuels like oil is putting some of the most sensitive and fragile places on Earth at risk whilst seriously hampering our efforts to tackle climate change. Whether it’s ripping up the Canadian forests to reach the tar sands beneath, drilling in deep water or in remote regions like the Arctic, oil companies like BP will stop at nothing to pump the last drops of oil.
Instead of opening up one of the UK’s most fragile natural environments to the likes of BP, the government needs to get its act together and show us its plan for getting off of risky and expensive oil.
