Assessing the Social Costs of Oil Spills: The AMOCO CADIZ Case Study

摘要

Approximately 30 percent of the oil spilled from the Amoco Cadiz in March 1978 came ashore on the Brittany coast. About 400 kilometers of the coast were directly affected. The remainder of the oil was dispersed at sea or evaporated. The oil had adverse effects on marine resources, such as aquacultured oysters and various species of finfish, on the tourist industry, and on the satisfaction of those who expected to or did recreate on the Brittany coast. The economic damages or losses associated with these adverse physical and biological effects, plus the costs associated with the cleanup effort which began immediately, constitute the economic costs of the oil spill. This report presents, and describes the methods used to estimate the various costs as divided into cleanup costs; losses to marine resources, such as oyster-culturing and open-seas fisheries; losses to recreationists, both tourists and residents; losses to the tourist industry; loss of the tanker and cargo; and research and legal costs.