Summary
Federal and state investigators are focusing on a 41-year-old pipeline as the cause of a massive oil spill off the Southern California coast. The 126,000 gallon oil spill is threatening wildlife and prompting a robust cleanup effort in the Pacific Ocean. But as Stephanie Sy reports, the scale and scope of the damage remains unclear.Five Facts
- Who is working to help address the damage caused by the oil spill off the California coast?
- What are the ways oil spills harm wildlife?
- When and Where was the oil spill discovered, and why wasn't it spotted earlier?
- Why do oil spills potentially affect human health?
- How can authorities try to clean up the spill or otherwise address the impact on natural systems of the spill?
Focus Questions
- What are some of the actions taken by local volunteers to address the oil spill? What are some ways you could volunteer to help clean or protect the environment in your own community?
- What actions do you think the state of California or federal government could do to better protect natural environments from oil spills and other disasters?
For More
- Looking for ways to invent solutions to help your own local environment, including wildlife? Check out this series of lesson plans based on the power of invention to help solve problems in your community!
- Use this lesson to explore how students can become agents of change through Sustainable Development Goals.
