Gorgeous beaches, underwater coral reefs teeming with wildlife, historic forts… Mauritius could not sound more like a dream. However, this beautiful island nation was also the locale of a disaster of epic proportions. One that has completely devastated its resources…
On the fateful day of July 25 2020, a Japanese vessel, the MV Wakashio ran aground at Pointe d’Esny, a sanctuary that consists of protected coral reefs. Soon after, 1,000 tonnes of oil seeped into the Indian Ocean. This disaster severely contaminated Mauritius’s lagoons and shoreline, placed thousands of animals at risk of drowning and had severe consequences for Mauritius’ food security and the economy as it degraded its environmental attractiveness and crippled the island’s primary food source (Khadka, 2020)
In the aftermath, the toxic compounds of the oil spill left more than 50 dolphins and whales washed up on the shores, with thousands of locals exposed to its toxic vapours. However, the disaster is still largely mired in secrecy as the parties involved – the Japanese corporation, the government and international organisation – have refrained from releasing critical information from the public on the extent of the disaster, its impacts on human health and the rate of recovery of Mauritius’ economy. Concerns regarding the catastrophe’s oil fingerprinting process which would equip marine biologists with valuable insights on marine degradation have also not been addressed.
Sandooyea, Takada and Steele (2021) also reveal that the Mauritian government has failed to implement precautions to prevent another spill event from recurring. This is in spite of its socio-ecological and economic significance to the island nation and the fact that its coastline remains extremely vulnerable to potential negative impacts of worldwide maritime activities. Therefore, one solution is for the government to create a Marine Protected Area (MPA) to eliminate any risks posed by the shipping industry and safeguard Mauritius’ biodiversity.
However, this accident is also symptomatic of a wider issue, namely the Global North’s attempts to dissolve differences between affluent and less-affluent societies. This is despite the latter bearing the brunt of a majority of the world’s environmental disasters and climate change. (Doyle and Chaturvedi). The initial discourse surrounding the accident cast blame onto the Japanese shipping firm, subsequent narratives such as Sandooyea et al. (2021) placed a majority of the responsibility on the Mauritian government. While the intention of this post is not to absolve Global South governments of all blame, it is paramount to recognise the Global North’s role in contributing to this issue.
In particular, the shipping sector is an enormous polluter and emits significant greenhouse gases. Yet, the shipping sector has failed to decarbonise itself or commit to the Paris Agreement although 80% of global trade is seaborne. Notwithstanding the fact that it is powered by fossil fuels and is poised to emit up to 10% of worldwide carbon emissions by 2050. Therefore, this post echoes sentiments that the International Maritime Organisation should accelerate its divestment from fossil fuels while also collaborating with governments to ensure that future oil spill accidents will be prevented.
References
Doyle, T. and Chaturvedi, S., 2010. Climate Territories: A Global Soul for the Global South?. Geopolitics, 15(3), pp.516-535.
Khadka, N., 2020. Why the Mauritius oil spill is so serious. [online] BBC News. Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53754751> [Accessed 13 April 2022].
Sandooyea, S., Takada, H. and Steele, M., 2021. The devastation of the Mauritius oil spill is still unaddressed. [online] Aljazeera.com. Available at: <https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/2/6/we-must-make-sure-the-mauritius-oil-spill-does-not-repeat> [Accessed 13 April 2022].