It is not usually my habit of injecting my opinion into articles. I prefer to report facts regarding innovations in the field of alternative energy; however recent discussions and current events have forced me to revise that position.
This small spaceship which we call Earth is danger, not from a foreign invader, but from actions of man. The very thing that makes this planet different from those that are uninhabited is the presence of water. Opponents of drilling in the oceans have warned that an “accident” would occur and it would seem that they were correct. Now we are facing a disaster. A disaster of a scale that many have not yet fully come to terms with.
DeepWater Horizon and ensuing oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico
Oil is escaping at a rate that has been underreported. Estimates change each time more information is received from surveys conducted at the scene of the leak. It was recently reported that the equivalent of an Exxon Valdes spill is being released into the Gulf of Mexico every four days.
The environmental impact of this is staggering. Reports are coming in of the mounting death toll to sea turtles, dolphins and other aquatic life. Chemicals being used to dissolve the oil are reported to be hazardous to ocean dwelling creatures, adding to the number killed.
As the oil comes ashore, coastal habitats, that are the nesting areas for birds, will be destroyed. Many species of fish lay their eggs in the waters beneath the mangrove trees that line the coast.
