The Gulf oil spill: 6 worst-case scenarios

Long-term consequences of the BP spill? Experts warn of wildlife devastation, gasoline price hikes, and a severe seafood shortage

Gulf oil spill from space
(Image credit: NASA)

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill, five times worse than originally thought, could easily surpass the Exxon Valdez disaster in both volume and ecological devastation. The slick has already hit the Louisiana coast and is headed for Mississippi, and the Obama administration is treating it as a national emergency. "I am frightened," says David Kennedy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "This is a very, very big thing." How bad will it get? Here, six likely effects:

1. A 'catastrophe' for wildlife

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us