What impact has the US oil spill had on the world?

The causes of the accident are still being investigated. But drilling operations around the world have been impacted. The technology required to drill in a deep water, high temperature and pressure environment, is complex. Oil companies and governmental agencies in various countries are examining how this drilling can be made safer to avoid future spills.

Oil companies are motivated to avoid spills because the cost of clean up and fines can be very high in other countries. Other countries do not have the same resources, so a spill in Angola or Brazil might be worse. However, if the spill occurred further offshore than the BP spill, the environmental impact would be less.

Countries where deep water drilling is occurring include Mexico, Brazil, Angola, and China. Hostile drilling conditions exist in the North Sea and Norway.

The long lasting impact of the spill may be better technology to avoid spills, improved techniques for containing the spill and arresting the flow, and tighter government regulations. This will occur worldwide.