Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

To the Editor:

In “BP’s
Responsibility” (editorial, June 12), you say that while a possible
total bill of $40 billion for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is
breathtaking, the “destruction BP has wrought is even more so.” Like so
much commentary on the disaster, this focuses blame wholly on the oil
company.

Undoubtedly BP is responsible, but so are all of us who drive cars,
travel by plane or consume goods produced and shipped with oil. If we
didn’t use it, BP wouldn’t drill for it. Until we recognize that demand
for oil is as much the problem as supply, and start to change the way we
live to reduce it, environmental destruction is inevitable.

We are all BP.

Martin Brown
New York, June 12, 2010