Summary

“A Hole in the World” is an essay Klein wrote in 2010 in the immediate aftermath of the explosion of BP's oil rig Deepwater Horizon, the “largest environmental disaster in US history” (54). She was present for a meeting between residents of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, and representation from the Coast Guard and BP public relations, who promised the company would do a better job quickly processing their claims for lost revenue due to the oil spill. She explains that the explosion of the rig was due to negligence and short-sightedness by BP, who believed (falsely) that “should a major spill occur, there was...'little risk of contact or impact to the coastline'” (61). Because of their belief that nothing could go seriously wrong, they did not have an effective plan in place to manage the disaster and the...