Sea friend or_enemy 1

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IS THE SEA YOUR FRIEND OR YOUR ENEMY?

We use this exercise as a role-play, groups of three or four students taking its different

parts, and a spring for a discussion as how we can ecologically exploit the various sea resources.

OIL THREAT TO RADLEIGH!

Radleigh-on-Sea is a small fishing village lying on the north-east coast of Scotland. Tanker routes from the North Sea oil fields pass close by Radleigh. If oil leaked from a damaged tanker, Radleigh’s beaches and harbour would be threatened by oil pollution.

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NOTICE: is hereby given of a PUBLlC MEETING to be held on Monday 6th March to discuss the threat of

OIL POLLUTION in Radleigh. All parties welcome to put forward their views.

RADLEIGH VILLAGE HALL 8 PM.

METHODS OF FIGHTING OIL POLLUTION:

1. Detergent.This is sprayed on to the surface of the oil from a tug fitted with special spraying equipment. Detergent makes an oil slick break up into smaller parts, allowing it to break down more easily into harmless matter.

2. Absorbent. Material such as straw or polystyrene is thrown onto the oil from a tug. It soaks up the oil and must be collected from the surface of the sea and burnt or buried on land.

3. Sinking. Specially treated sand is thrown onto the oil, making it sink to the sea floor.

4. Using a boom. A boom is a thick rubber tube filled with air which floats on the sea. Oil is halted by the boom and so is prevented from reaching beaches, harbours, etc.

5. Beach cleaning. Special beach buggies have been designed to spray detergent. The beach buggies can be driven up and down a polluted beach spraying the detergent.

6. Burning. Although it can be a difficult and dangerous process, oil may be set alight when it is floating. But this is only effective if done immediately the oil starts to leak.

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OIL THREAT TO RADLEIGH

I. OIL COMPANY - WHO YOU ARE:

You represent a big oil company.

You have been asked to attend a public meeting in Radleigh-on-Sea, to discuss

the possibility of oil pollution and methods of fighting it.

You understand that some people in the area are hostile to the company because they

are frightened of pollution. It is your job to make them see how wrong they are.

The discovery of oil off the coast has been very good for the people of the area. Lots of

them have found jobs with the oil industry. No one in Radleigh itself has because they

are mainly fishermen, but many people in surrounding areas are doing very well out of

the oil industry.

Oil is very good for the country's economy.

Everyone agrees that oil is essential in our industrialised society.

Oil pollution is very rare and the chances of the oil coming ashore on such a small

section of the coast are remote.

The oil company does everything it can to provide tankers that cannot spill oil. Of

course, there may be accidents from time to time, but this is unlikely.

The best thing is for the community to have an effective method of fighting oil. You

could help them by buying them a boom and presenting it to the local Council. They

could use this and buy another method themselves. It might be better not to mention

that you would be prepared to give Radleigh Council a boom until later on in the debate.

A. WHAT YOU MUST DECIDE:

What method of fighting oil pollution, other than the boom, would you recommend

to the Council?

B. POINTS TO CONSIDER:

o Burning is not advisable as it can destroy the tanker that is leaking the oil.

o Absorbing is a safe method but it means providing a storage building and the

Council might want you to build it free, which you are not prepared to do.

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o Beach cleaning equipment is very expensive. You wouldn't want to pay for it.


II. LOCAL COUNCIL - WHO YOU ARE:

You are the local Council responsible for the village of Radleigh-on-Sea.

The village's two main industries are fishing and tourism. It is vitally important that these are protected.

You think that the oil company should help protect Radleigh's beaches and fishing grounds. As the local Council, you consider you can afford only one method of combating pollution, but you believe the oil company should pay for another.

You would also demand compensation from the oil company for any damage that occurred.

There is to be a public meeting to discuss the problem of oil pollution at which you will put forward your views.


What two methods of fighting oil pollution should Radleigh try to possess, and how will you persuade the oil company to pay for the second method?


o Absorbing is a lengthy process and the material has to be stored. This would mean the Council building a storehouse - unless the oil company would build it.

o The beach-cleaning method is quite quick and efficient, and the oil company might pay for the equipment.

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III. TOURIST BOARD - WHO YOU ARE:

You are the tourist board of the village of Radleigh-on-Sea. Radleigh has a lot to offer - beaches of golden sands, rocks and pools for children to explore and long cliff walks outside the village.

It is your job to attract tourists to Radleigh. You have been successful in this recently: in the last four years the number of holidaymakers has trebled. Tourism now brings more money into the town than anything else, including fishing.

An oil spill would be a disaster. If the beaches were spoilt, no one would come to Radleigh for their holidays and all your hard work would have been in vain.

You have heard that there is to be a public meeting to discuss the problem of oil pollution, and you can put forward your views there.


What method should Radleigh-on-Sea adopt to protect the harbour and the beaches from oil pollution?


o If oil came anywhere near the beaches, the news would get into the press and the publicity might mean that tourists would stay away. Any method which attacked the oil as soon as possible after it was spilt would therefore appeal to you.

o Absorbent is very bulky and would need large storage premises down by the harbour. This might spoil the attractive appearance of the harbour.

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IV. FISHERMEN - WHO YOU ARE:

You live in Radleigh-on-Sea and earn your living by fishing off the coast. You keep your boats in the small harbour.

Fishing is one of Radleigh's two industries and provides work for most of the men in the village.

An oil spillage would threaten the fish upon which your trade depends.

It would also ruin the harbour if it reached it. It is vital that any possible oil spillage should be kept away from the fishing boats. If these were to be covered in oil, the cleaning process would be expensive and would take up valuable fishing time.

You think any oil spill should be dealt with long before it reaches land.





o If oil were moving towards the beaches and the sinking method were used, it could adversely affect the fish underwater, not only cod and plaice, but also shellfish such as lobsters and crabs. A lot of shellfish are sold in the village and in the nearby town, Fishleigh. Trade would be badly affected if the shellfish were killed or tainted in some way.

o Detergent can be poisonous to fish if it is sprayed in shallow water along the coastline or inside the harbour.

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V. RESIDENTS - WHO YOU ARE:

You live in the village of Radleigh-on-Sea. You have always lived here and like it very much because of the fresh sea air.

The village has some pleasant beaches which you use in the summer. You would hate to see oil coming ashore and ruining the beauty of the shoreline.

You think oil is a necessary product in the modern world. You are glad that it has been found in the North Sea and that this is helping Britain to be self-sufficient in oil.

You think that the oil companies are probably doing the best they can to avoid spilling oil. However, accidents do happen and the only thing to be done is to make sure that the oil is cleaned up as safely and quickly as possible.





o Trying to absorb the oil by using straw or polystyrene has two disadvantages. First, the absorbent is very bulky and takes a long time to put on the oil. Second, because the absorbent is so bulky it has to be stored in special premises close to the harbour so that it can be loaded easily on to a boat. Such premises could be an eyesore in the harbour.

o The other methods do not involve such bulky materials.

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VI. CONSERVATIONISTS - WHO YOU ARE

You represent conservationists interested in the fine coastline of the village of Radleigh-on-Sea, including its beaches, rocks and river.

If oil polluted the beaches, it would destroy the insect life there. The insects on the beach feed on the plant life of the rocks. If the insects were killed, the plant life would grow unchecked and the whole natural balance of the coast would be upset.

If oil reached the rocks down by the shore, the molluscs such as limpets and mussels, which live on the rocks, would be killed.





o Detergent could kill the life on the beach just as surely as oil would.

o Sinking the oil at sea would only transfer it to the seabed. Currents might carry it ashore days afterwards when everyone thought the danger was over.

o Using a boom might stop the oil unless there were fast currents which could drag the oil underneath it. The boom could also be used across the mouth of the river to stop oil affecting river fish.

Sea friend or_enemy 1

Education

Transcript of Sea friend or_enemy 1