Akuzona Nje Ezinkulu

Kulabo abakhathalela ulwandle lwethu, ukuphila okungaphakathi, kanye nemiphakathi yabantu encike olwandle olunempilo— umbono wokwanda kokusetshenziswa kolwandle usongela wonke umsebenzi owenziwayo ukuze kubhekwane nomonakalo okhona ovela emisebenzini yabantu. Njengoba sizama ukunciphisa izindawo ezifile, sandise inala yezinhlanzi, sivikela izilwane ezincelisayo zasolwandle ekulimaleni, futhi sikhuthaza ubuhlobo obuhle bomuntu nolwandle okuncike kukho konke ukuphila komuntu, into yokugcina esiyidingayo ukunwetshwa kokumbiwa kukawoyela ogwini lolwandle. Ukuthi ukukhiqizwa kukawoyela e-United States kusezingeni elirekhodiwe kusho ukuthi asikho isidingo sokukhiqiza enye ingozi kanye nengozi eyengeziwe ngokutholwa kukawoyela negesi nezinqubo zokukhipha.  

Ufudu olumbozwe ngamafutha eduze neGulf of Mexico, 2010, Florida Fish and Wildlife/Blair Witherington

Ukuchitheka kukawoyela okukhulu kufana neziphepho ezinkulu— kugxivizwe enkumbulweni yethu sisonke: ukuchitheka kuka-Santa Barbara ka-1969, ukuchitheka kwe-Exxon Valdez ka-1989 e-Alaska, kanye nenhlekelele ye-BP Deepwater Horizon ngo-2010, edlula zonke ezinye emanzini ase-US. Labo ababhekana nazo noma ababona imiphumela yazo kuyi-TV—abakwazi ukuyikhohlwa—Amabhishi amnyama, izinyoni ezigcotshwe amafutha, amahlengethwa angakwazi ukuphefumula, izinhlanzi ziyabulala, imiphakathi engabonakali ye-shellfish, izibungu zasolwandle, nezinye izixhumanisi zokuphila. Ngayinye yalezi zingozi iholele ekuthuthukisweni kwezokuphepha kanye nokwengamela ukusebenza, izinqubo zokunxephezela ukuphazamiseka komsebenzi womuntu kanye nokulimala kwezilwane zasendle, kanye nokusungulwa kwezindawo ezingcwele lapho ukumba uwoyela kwakungavunyelwe njengendlela yokuvikela okunye ukusetshenziswa kolwandle—okuhlanganisa nokubuka imikhomo. , ukuzijabulisa, ukudoba—nezindawo ezazizisekela. Kodwa umonakalo eziwubangeleyo usaqhubeka nanamuhla—ukalwa ngokulahlekelwa insada yezinhlobo ezinjengama-herring, izinkinga zokuzala kwamahlengethwa, neminye imiphumela engabazekayo.

-The Houma Courier, 1 January 2018

Kuningi ukuchitheka kukawoyela okungathi sína okungenzi ikhasi lokuqala noma phezulu kwehora lezindaba. Abantu abaningi baphuthelwe ukuchitheka okukhulu e-Gulf of Mexico ngo-Okthoba 2017, lapho umshini omusha ojulile wamanzi ovuza ngaphezu kwamamalitha angu-350,000. Akukhona nje kuphela ukuchitheka okukhulu kakhulu kusukela kwenhlekelele ye-BP, umthamo ochithekile wawulula ngokwanele ukukala ukuchitheka kwe-10 ephezulu enanini lamafutha akhishwe emanzini olwandle. Ngokunjalo, uma ungeyena owasendaweni, cishe awukhumbuli ukuthi ithangi lamiswa e-Nantucket ngo-1976, noma ukumiswa kwe-Selendang Ayu kuma-Aleutians ngo-2004, zombili zisezindaweni eziyishumi ezihamba phambili zokuchitheka kwevolumu. Amanzi ase-US. Izingozi ezinjengalezi zibonakala zingase zivame kakhulu uma imisebenzi izodlulela ezindaweni eziyingozi kakhulu—izinkulungwane zamamitha ngaphansi komhlaba futhi ziphumele emanzini angavikelekile asogwini nasezimeni ezimbi kakhulu njenge-Arctic. 

Kodwa akubona nje ubungozi bokungahambi kahle okwenza ukwanda kukawoyela ogwini kube ukulimala okungadingekile emanzini ethu olwandle. Imiphumela eminingi emibi yokumba uwoyela ogwini lolwandle ayihlobene nezingozi. Ngisho nangaphambi kokuba kuqale ukwakhiwa kwemishini nokukhipha, ukuqhuma kwezibhamu zomoya okuchaza ukuhlolwa kokuzamazama komhlaba kulimaza izilwane zasendle futhi kuphazamise nezindawo zokudoba. Umkhondo wokumba uwoyela negesi eGulf of Mexico uhlanganisa ukumbozwa ngo-5% yimishini kawoyela, kanye nezinkulungwane nezinkulungwane zamamayela amapayipi agwedla phansi olwandle, nokuguguleka okuqhubekayo kwamaxhaphozi asogwini anikeza ukuphila avikela imiphakathi yethu izivunguvungu. Izingozi ezengeziwe zihlanganisa ukwanda komsindo emanzini ovela ekubhobolweni, ezokuthutha, nokunye ukusebenza, ukulayishwa okunobuthi odakeni lokumba, ukulimala kwendawo okuhlala kuyo okuvela kuxhaxha lwamapayipi ayandayo afakwe ngaphansi kolwandle, nokusebenzisana okungekuhle nezilwane zasolwandle, okuhlanganisa imikhomo, amahlengethwa, izinhlanzi, nezinyoni zasolwandle.  

I-Deepwater Horizon Fire, 2010, EPI2oh

Okokugcina ukunwetshwa kokumbiwa kukawoyela ogwini kwahlongozwa emiphakathini yasemanzini ase-US kulo lonke ugu kwahlangana ndawonye. Ukusuka eFlorida kuya eNyakatho Carolina kuya eNew York, bazwakalise ukukhathazeka ngemiphumela yezimboni ezinkulu emanzini ezisekela indlela yabo yokuphila. Bazwakalisa ukwesaba ngomonakalo ongase ube khona kwezokuvakasha, ezilwaneni zasendle, emikhayeni edobayo, ekubukeleni imikhomo, nasekuzijabuliseni. Bazwakalise ukukhathazeka ngokuthi ukwehluleka ukuphoqelela izindlela zokuphepha nokunqanda ukuchitheka kwegazi kungase kubangele inhlekelele eyengeziwe emanzini avulekile ePacific, i-Atlantic, ne-Arctic. Ekugcineni, babecacile ngenkolelo yabo yokuthi ukubeka engozini indawo yokudoba, izilwane ezincelisayo zasolwandle, kanye nezindawo ezisogwini kubeka engcupheni ifa lemithombo yethu emangalisayo yasolwandle esiyikweleta izizukulwane ezizayo.

Sekuyisikhathi sokuthi leyo miphakathi, nesethu sonke, sihlangane futhi. Kudingeka sibandakanye abaholi bethu bezifundazwe nabendawo ukuze siqonde ukuthi kubaluleke kangakanani ukuqondisa ikusasa lethu lolwandle ngezindlela ezingalimazi umsebenzi wezomnotho wamanje. 

I-Loon embozwe ngamafutha, i-Trish Carney/MarinePhotoBank

Sidinga ukubuza ukuthi kungani. Kungani kufanele izinkampani zikawoyela negesi zivunyelwe ukuba zenze izimboni unomphela indawo yethu yasolwandle ukuze senze inzuzo yangasese? Kungani kufanele sikholwe ukuthi ukumba olwandle oluvulekile kuyisinyathelo esihle sobudlelwano beMelika nolwandle? Kungani sibeka kuqala imisebenzi eyingozi kangaka, neyingozi? Kungani singayishintsha imithetho edinga izinkampani zikagesi ukuthi zibe ngomakhelwane abalungile futhi zivikele okuhle komphakathi?

Kumele sibuze ukuthi yini. Isiphi isidingo sabantu baseMelika esenza ukwanda kokumbiwa kukawoyela phesheya kwezilwandle kube yingozi emiphakathini yaseMelika? Yiziphi iziqinisekiso esingakholelwa kuzo ngempela njengoba iziphepho ziya ziba namandla kakhulu futhi zingabikezeli? Yiziphi ezinye izindlela ezikhona esikhundleni sokumba uwoyela negesi okuhambisana nabantu abanempilo nolwandle olunempilo?

Usuku lwama-30 lokuchitheka kukawoyela we-Deepwater Horizon eGulf of Mexico, 2010, iGreen Fire Productions

Sidinga ukubuza ukuthi kanjani. Singawuthethelela kanjani umonakalo emiphakathini ethembele ekudobeni, kwezokuvakasha, nasekulimeni izilwane zasemanzini? Singawavimba kanjani amashumi eminyaka okubuyiselwa kwezindawo zokudoba, izilwane ezincelisayo zasolwandle, nendawo ehlala ogwini ngokususa imithetho esekela ukuziphatha okuhle? 

Sidinga ukubuza ukuthi ubani. Ubani ozohlangana futhi aphikise ukuqhubeka kwezimboni zamanzi aseMelika? Ubani ozosukuma akhulumele izizukulwane ezizayo? Ubani ozosiza ekuqinisekiseni ukuthi imiphakathi yethu yasogwini iyaqhubeka nokuthuthuka?  

Futhi siyayazi impendulo. Izimpilo zezigidi zabantu baseMelika zisengozini. Inhlalakahle yogu lwethu isengcupheni. Ikusasa lolwandle lwethu namandla alo okukhiqiza umoya-mpilo kanye nesimo sezulu esisesilinganisweni kusengozini. Impendulo ithi. Singahlangana ndawonye. Singakwazi ukuxoxisana nabaholi bethu bomphakathi. Singanxusa abenza izinqumo zethu. Singakubeka kucace ukuthi simela ulwandle, imiphakathi yethu egudle ugu, nezizukulwane ezizayo.

Thatha ipeni lakho, ithebhulethi yakho, noma ifoni yakho. Izingcingo ezi-5 zikwenza kube lula ukuze uxhumane nabameleli bakho futhi uzwakalise ukukhathazeka kwakho. Ungakwazi futhi ukulwa nosongo futhi usayine yethu CURRENTS isicelo sokumba ogwini futhi yazise abathatha izinqumo ukuthi sekwanele. Ugu lwaseMelika nolwandle kuyifa lethu kanye nefa lethu. Asikho isidingo sokunikeza izinkampani ezinkulu zamazwe ngamazwe ukufinyelela okungenamkhawulo olwandle lwethu. Asikho isidingo sokubeka engozini izinhlanzi zethu, amahlengethwa ethu, ama-manatee ethu, noma izinyoni zethu. Asikho isidingo sokuphazamisa indlela yokuphila ye-waterman noma ukubeka engcupheni imibhede ye-oyster nezimfunda zotshani basolwandle okuncike kuzo ukuphila. Singasho ukuthi cha. Singasho ukuthi ikhona enye indlela. 

Okolwandle,
Mark J. Spalding, uMongameli