Ethical Considerations in Environmental Disaster Response

This essay delves into the ethical complexities surrounding environmental disasters, using Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as compelling case studies. It scrutinizes the ethical implications of mandatory evacuations, the government's response, and the responsibilities of corporations in crisis situations. The analysis extends to the application of ethical theories, such as utilitarianism, to evaluate decision-making processes. The essay highlights issues of bureaucratic inefficiency, delayed information dissemination, and the impact of corporate actions on both the environment and public health. By examining these instances, the essay underscores the importance of prompt, ethical behavior and transparent communication in disaster management, emphasizing the need for independent disaster management teams, and the ethical balancing of public safety and individual rights. The essay also considers the ethical dimensions of information control and the potential for conflicts of interest in crisis response.

Running head: ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR DURING ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS.
Ethical Behavior during Environmental Disasters
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR DURING ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS.
This category 5 hurricane made landfall in New Orleans, on 29th August, 2005 (Sobel
& Leeson, 2016). With the arrival of the storm surge, the city’s drainage canals and levees
were of no use while flooding occurred and people scrambled for higher ground. 80% of the
city was affected. The President George. W. Bush being unaware about the disaster zone
back at New Orleans and the FEMA or the Federal Emergency Management Agency was
unprepared to tackle the aftermath of this horrific disaster because their operations begun
after various levels of bureaucratic approval which slowed down the process because of the
placement under Homeland Securities which oversee Terrorist attacks. FEMA’s inefficiency
was debatable because it tried to adhere to the ethics laid down by the government and
because it was not prompt.
The government seemed to have waited for the disaster to hit before allowing action
to be taken, under the assumption that they were prepared. Mandatory evacuation raises
various ethical questions as many are reluctant to leave, however, officials must convince
people to believe in the measures they take (Fairchild, Colgrove, Jones, Redlener & Bayer,
2019). The information about the degree of the impending disaster was circulated late and the
authorities failed to convince people and clear out the area well before time thus for prompt
action, disaster management teams should retain their independence during extraordinary
emergency situations. Mandatory Evacuation must be carried out peacefully, people must be
convinced and not physically pushed around to maintain ethical rules. Sufficient funds must
be ensured for people with limited resources to comply for their safety.

2ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR DURING ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS.
British petroleum’s drilling platform on the Deep Water Horizon, in the Gulf of
Mexico, suffered an explosion on the 20th of April, 2010 which ended up becoming an
enormous catastrophe. This tarnished the image of BP who failed at handling this crisis and
claimed that the disaster was not their doing, and blamed the contactors in the process. They
tried to cover up the events and refused requests from press and scientists willing to research
the catastrophe raising ethical questions related to BP retaining information from the public
eye along with the Obama government which refused transparency (Griggs, 2011).
According to the utilitarian theory, an organization must be based on moral rules, so
in case of accidents like this, the organization should sacrifice for a larger benefit. (Balmer,
Powell & Greyser, 2011). A company can be allowed to retain information only if public
intervention slows up the process of reversing the disaster and ensuring peace. They can also
retain information if intervention creates safety issues. Had intervention been allowed in this
case, the spill could have been curbed. Especially after noticing the adverse effects it caused
on the environment and on the health of the people nearby. Though BP held cleanup
programs, no real benefits were provided because of the damage done to the ecosystem and to
the people near the coastline. This simultaneously harmed BP’s brand image as well and
caused enormous losses.

3ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR DURING ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS.
References
Fairchild, A., Colgrove, J., Jones, M., Redlener, I., & Bayer, R. (2019). Ethical and Legal
Challenges Posed by mandatory Hurricane Evacuation: Duties and Limits. Retrieved
from https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8183FW8
Griggs, J. W. (2011). BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Energy LJ, 32, 57.
Sobel, R. S., & Leeson, P. T. (2006). Government's response to Hurricane Katrina: A public
choice analysis. Public Choice, 127(1-2), 55-73.
Balmer, J. M., Powell, S. M., & Greyser, S. A. (2011). Explicating ethical corporate
marketing. Insights from the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe: the ethical brand
that exploded and then imploded. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(1), 1.