A World In Pictures: Bad BP

Source: time.com
This is a picture of a pelican covered in crude oil that was released into the Gulf of Mexico during the 2010 BP oil spill that began on April 20 of that year. An oil rig exploded and sank, causing almost five million gallons of oil to flood into the ocean. Eleven people died and many surrounding ecosystems were severely harmed or destroyed and the infant mortality rates of dolphins went up by 600%.
Following the incident, many people were quick to make promises to never return to a BP gas station, claiming that they would never support a company that allowed something like this to happen. Why is it then, that even if BP had to continuously pay for a spill like the one that occurred, their daily profit would still exceed $70 million? To me, it seems comparable to the #StopKony campaign and public relations fiasco concerning the Chick-fil-A owner's comment on homosexuality. All caused public outcry that lasted a very brief amount of time and in the long run did very little. It seems to me that if people are so upset about a topic they would give up their delicious chicken sandwiches and their convenient gasoline and do what they could to express their disapproval.