Gulf War Oil Spill

Course Title: Ecological system and environment

Course code: Gen-203

Section: 2

Submitted to:

Md. Rezwan Siddiqui,

Senior Lecturer

Department of Social Relations

Submitted by:

Jubayer Hossen

Date of submission: 18-3-2022

What caused the disaster you chose? Was it partially or fully man-made? How?
Explain?
The disaster I chose was the Gulf War oil spill. Which is the worst oil spill in the history of
the world. And the world's largest oil spill is the result of war. This catastrophe has been
caused due to various geopolitical reasons. That is why it can be called a man-made
disaster. Iraqi forces initially claimed the oil spill was caused by the United States, but it
was later revealed that Iraqi forces had opened oil pipelines and valves and released 11
million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf. Which caused this catastrophe to occur. Their
main goal was to prevent US troops from attempting to land on the beach during the
withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Kuwait in the Gulf War. This was the first time in human
history that natural resources were used as a tactic of war. The Gulf War Oil Spill was
totally a Man-Made Disaster. Subsequent studies have shown that marine species and
marine ecosystems suffer severe damage as a result of these accidents.

What were the long and short-term effects (both on human and nature)

Various surveys have shown that the Gulf War has resulted in the spread of oil in the
oceans, causin
g the largest man-made air pollution in the environment. As a result, it caused catastrophic
damage to the natural environment of the region. The quake affected Kuwait,Iraq, Iran and
Saudi Arabia. Most of the oil spilled in the Gulf reaches the Saudi coast, and most of Saudi
Arabia's coast is covered in crude oil. As a result, the mangrove forests of the affected
areas are completely destroyed. About 50 to 90 percent of the region's fauna died from the
effects of the oil. Under the influence of oil, seabirds are threatened and one-third die.
Numerous dead dolphins have been found off the coast of Saudi Arabia. As a result,
marine productivity has declined, especially fish production. The amount of fish of different
species is greatly reduced. Oil-fired fires pollute the environment. On the other hand,
various species of marine animals die. Which directly and indirectly put the biodiversity of
the region in crisis. As a result, even after one year of the war, oil started coming out from
the coastal silt. In other words, their influence has remained in that region till now.

What could have been done in the first place to avoid the disaster?
 In the Gulf War oil spill, it was largely responsible for the war . And war never brings
anything good. When a country occupies a country, the occupying country wants to
destroy that country. But the damage will be to the environment. That is, no one has time
to think about the environment where the purpose is to harm the opponent. In the Gulf
War, we see that Iraq's goal was to occupy Kuwait and seize oil. But it was Iraq that made
the hasty decision when it was forced to withdraw in the face of international pressure. But
the damage has been done to the environment which is long term. So every country has to
come out of such insane behavior. Citizens of every country should be aware of this.
Although it is true that war can be anything. That is why it cannot be avenged on the
environment. One thing to keep in mind is that if the environment is good we will be good.
Every country needs to be aware of this.

How do humans solved or mitigated the disaster/ issue?

The oil spill in the Gulf War was the largest in history. In the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq
deliberately spilled oil into the Gulf to prevent US forces from reaching the Kuwaiti coast.
In other words, oil was spilled off the coast of Kuwait to thwart a possible US invasion of
the Persian Gulf. For the first time in the history of the Gulf War, oil was used as a
weapon. This is not a natural phenomenon, it is entirely man-made . Everyone in the world
has to come forward to prevent man-made disasters. We have very little mineral resources
in the world. As a result, we need to make sure that it is not used for waste or natural
disasters. In this case, all the countries of the world must come forward. Countries that do
this need to be banned from doing so. Because man-made disasters destroy the natural
balance and upset nature. We need to get out of the waste or misuse of these natural
resources and give more importance to their proper use.

How we are tackling the issue/ situation/ disaster now?

The amount of pollution and environmental degradation that has occurred as a result of
this Gulf War is irreparable. The extinction of human civilization will reach the brink of
extinction if the amount of mineral resources wasted in this war at sea continues like this.
When resources are not used properly, these will quickly run out and our world will fall
further behind. In the present age people are putting a lot of emphasis on environmental
protection. Which is a very good sign. Day by day we are making the earth uninhabitable
due to various man-made reasons. In the face of environmental catastrophe so we need to
be more aware of this. If we can be more aware of the environment, then such unwanted
incidents can be stopped in the future. The citizens of each country need to be more
aware of this so that the government of that country cannot take any hasty decision.
Above all, all the states of the world need to be more aware. So that someone cannot
make a hasty decision. If a country has the courage to do such a thing, then everyone
must unite and stand against that country so that it cannot do this. The amount of oil
spilled in the sea war and the resulting environmental damage has devastated the region's
ecosystem. We have to learn from this.

What should be done to solve this kind of disaster in future?

Oil spills pose a threat to the environment. It can affect seawater and destroy marine
ecosystems and extinct marine animals and aquatic plants. As a result, the environment in
the region could be seriously threatened. Therefore, everyone should pay special attention
to prevent the spread of these oils. Particular importance should be given to the fact that
no one can do this. If anyone wants to cause such an incident, everyone must take action
together. However, if for some reason such an incident occurs, the problem must be dealt
with as soon as possible using modern technology. Nature must be saved from disaster by
reducing pollution through the use of modern technology. In other words, this problem has
to be addressed by using all the technologies that cannot spread oil quickly.

What did we (humans) learn from it?

The Gulf War caused an unprecedented environmental catastrophe on Earth. That loss
has not yet been remedied. More than 700 oil wells were set on fire during the war, which
continued to burn for 10 months. On the other hand, the amount of crude oil released into
the sea was about 50 sq km. Where Saudi Arabia suffers the most. Almost the entire
coastal region of Saudi Arabia is covered in crude oil. As a result, many marine animals
died. So from this we can understand that war never brings anything good. On the one
hand it disrupts human life and on the other hand it destroys the environment and leads
the world to destruction. From this we learn that the environment must be given priority
above all else. Whatever we do to cause environmental catastrophe will go against us.
Because if the environment is beautiful we will be good. It is impossible to survive in a sick
environment for long. The first priority is to ensure that the environment is not harmed.