An oil leak in the Solomon Islands is threatening the world’s largest raised coral atoll
An environmental crisis is unfolding in the Solomon Islands, where a ship is leaking oil near a UNESCO World Heritage Site and threatens to spill hundreds of metric tons more, authorities say.
And the environmental impacts of the leak have already begun, according to Radio NZ. Loti Yates, the director of the Solomon Islands Disaster Management Office, told the outlet that dead fish have been washing up on beaches.
“There are dead fish and crabs and all that,” Yates said. “The fumes that is coming out from the oil is also affecting communities and I just had a report it’s also impacting on the chicken and birds.”