Israel Oil Spill

In the time span of 3 to 5 days, an oil spill off the coast of Israel had caused severe ecological damage to wildlife and had temporarily ruined many beaches. The signs first started to show on October 17th, 2022, when dark pieces of sticky tar started to emerge from the sea onto the shore. Out of the few that were found, animals like turtles and birds were covered in this tar, many of them dying shortly after they were found. A fin whale was also found dead on the coast the next day, with all the factors of its death pointing towards the oil spill.

As of now, 40 percent of Israel’s coastline has been impacted by this deadly oil spill, which is a dangerously high percentage relative to the size of the nation. Authorities are still not sure about what caused the spill. Some estimates say it derived from 1-10 vessels that were assigned the task of transporting oil. Others say it was a singular ship that was approximately 21 miles from shore when the oil spilled. Taking European investigative aid, the Israeli government is working towards finding the culprit. After the suspect has been determined, the government of Israel could turn towards legal action or help from an Environmental Protection Agency.

Luckily, upwards of 4,000 people have volunteered to help pick up the tar pieces and remove them from the shore. Although this process will be very tedious and take several years, it will help mitigate the effect of this oil spill over time. Even the Israeli Defense Forces have been assigned to help in the effort, and it will be a very organized and thorough process. The equipment in Israel is not adequate to deal with threats like this, as an event like this has not occurred for many years. The impact on marine life will be catastrophic and long-lasting. The main reason for this is due to the continual release of carbon from the tar back into the ocean. Like all seas and oceans around the world, the Mediterranean sea is already polluted with both carbon and man-made trash, and the effects of the oil spill will only add on top of that. However, there are measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of the exposed tar. Several charities can be donated to, all of which are currently focused on the oil spill disaster. They are listed down below.

Charity Organizations

• EcoOcean

  • https://www.ecoocean.org/en/

  • Cleans up oil-spills at coastlines

  • Fully environmental friendly

• Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel

  • https://natureisrael.org/

  • Protects nature in Israel, fully non-profit

• Green Course

  • Local charity

  • Website in Hebrew

  • https://www.green.org.il/