Ecologie & société

When an environmental disaster occurs, it can be devastating to ecosystems. More often that not, the public only hears about these incidents when they first become a problem. What we don’t often hear about is the fact that the ramifications of such incidents reach far and wide – impacting the environment for years and years to come.

The monetary and health-related consequences of these types of disasters are enormous. Cleanup costs, the initial costs associated with a disaster are defined as the amount it will take to return the affected area to normal. What isn’t accounted for in these “cleanup costs,” is the impact on communities and wildlife that will span decades.

Oftentimes, the true impact of a disaster isn’t truly known for years.

As this infographic from Vermont Law School’s Master of Environmental Law & Policy Online clearly illustrates, from the Exxon Valdez incident to the Deepwater Horizon spill, billions had to be spent on cleanup, lives were lost, and wildlife suffered. The only thing certain is that the impacted communities will continue to struggle to recuperate from the after effects of these environmental disasters.