Groups like The Nature Conservancy have taken money from BP in the past. Some are claiming this damages the reputation of these organizations.
I disagree, the donation was between a company that wanted to look environmentally friendly, and non-profits that need cash to protect the environment. Both sides knew what the deal was, and it should be clear to everyone else too.
The real question, is what those groups are going to do now. Are they going to hit BP hard for its mistakes, or are they going to go soft on the company?
"If this Gulf accident had happened in Nigeria, neither the government nor the company would have paid much attention," said the writer Ben Ikari, a member of the Ogoni people. "This kind of spill happens all the time in the delta."
"The oil companies just ignore it. The lawmakers do not care and people must live with pollution daily. The situation is now worse than it was 30 years ago. Nothing is changing. When I see the efforts that are being made in the US I feel a great sense of sadness at the double standards. What they do in the US or in Europe is very different."
"We see frantic efforts being made to stop the spill in the US," said Nnimo Bassey, Nigerian head of Friends of the Earth International. "But in Nigeria, oil companies largely ignore their spills, cover them up and destroy people's livelihood and environments. The Gulf spill can be seen as a metaphor for what is happening daily in the oilfields of Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
"This has gone on for 50 years in Nigeria. People depend completely on the environment for their drinking water and farming and fishing. They are amazed that the president of the US can be making speeches daily, because in Nigeria people there would not hear a whimper," he said.
For some reason it seems to me, there is enough room for everyone who wants to get involved in a solution.
in reference to: BP Oil Spill Continues In Gulf of Mexico as Frustration Mounts - ABC News (view on Google Sidewiki)
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Crap. So that dome that was supposed to end the 