Source: Science for Environment Policy
European Atlantic countries are, in general, at higher risk of being affected by oil spills than Mediterranean and Baltic countries, with the United Kingdom most affected, according to new research. The study developed a new risk index for analysing the potential vulnerability of coastal regions to oil spills at sea.
Oil spills at sea can be devastating events. Not only does oil pollution harm marine wildlife, it can also affect coastal communities by causing fishing and recreational activities to close. To help marine policymakers, this study has proposed a method to measure and compare the risk to European coastal regions from oil spills at sea.