cityplanner.ca
Discussing big picture urban/city planning and design issues.
Jun 02, 2010
As reported by Reuters, we are witnessing the "biggest environmental catastrophe" in U.S. history. For almost 45 days now, many millions of gallons of crude oil have been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. Yet, little appears to be changing. One would expect to see someone axed, a major process changed, something…
Habitat is being destroyed. The surrounding water and air are being polluted. Animals are being killed. Numerous sources have reported that the current oil spill has eclipsed the Exxon-Valdez spill of 1989, with an estimated 444,000 barrels of oil being released.
Just like other oil spills and releases which have happened in the past, this is completely unacceptable and irresponsible. A long list of references to other oil spills is available at the Global Marine Oil Pollution Information Gateway.
Sadly, not enough enough people with power decided that the Exxon-Valdez spill was unacceptable enough, so by default, we had to accept that it would happen again. And it has. Other oil tankers have spilled oil in other locations around the world. For example, a CN train derailed and spilled "700,000 litres of bunker oil and other chemicals into Lake Wabamun, 50 kilometres west of Edmonton, in August 2005." There was also the Prestige oil tanker which sank off the coast of Spain in 2002, which spilled an estimated 63,000 tonnes of fuel oil.
And it will happen again if enough people with power again do not decide that this is unacceptable.
Each day gets sadder and sadder, and we are told the well may be stopped/capped sometime in August. But what if that plan doesn't work? How is it acceptable that we should have to wait that long? How much more oil will be released by then?
The Reuters article indicates that "the U.S. government and military do not have the technology to plug the leaking well..." If they didn't have the technology, they should have it by now, a month and a half later. Why would the government allow the possibility of any activity which it would not be able to stop, or defend against?
For that matter, why are we as a society pursuing anything, off shore oil drilling included, which has the potential of becoming the "biggest environmental catastrophe"? Only thrill seekers run toward the edge of cliffs, but there is no thrill in watching this disaster unfold.
Why would we pursue anything in our cities and regions which has the potential to seriously damage our ecosystems, diminish biodiversity, increase our ecological footprints, increase the number of homeless, or injure opportunities for entrepreneurship? The answer typically has something to do with the almighty dollar, but I do not believe this is a good enough answer anymore.
We should be hearing some serious debate about whether the oil economy should even continue, given such potential for disaster, and the fact that we have multiple other viable sources of energy available to us (e.g., solar, wind, geothermal).
We should also be hearing more about alternative plans of action, plans which can be implemented prior to August. What is Plan B, C, D, etc. If the flow could at least be slowed down with a number of different methods, that would help.
It is sad to watch the area residents in tears, powerless to do anything about it, and many in tourism and fishing industries are even powerless to work.
Each day gets sadder and sadder, and we are told the well may be stopped/capped sometime in August. But what if that plan doesn't work? How is it acceptable that we should have to wait that long? How much more oil will be released by then?
Some models have suggested that the oil will gradually end up on the Eastern coast of the United States and Canada. What will this mean for cod fishers and coastal tourism operators? There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered.
This did not have to become the "biggest environmental catastrophe" in U.S. history, had the proper safety controls, policies and backup upon backup in place.
This should not have dragged on so long, and this should not be allowed to drag on any longer.
Habitat is being destroyed. The surrounding water and air are being polluted. Animals are being killed. Numerous sources have reported that the current oil spill has eclipsed the Exxon-Valdez spill of 1989, with an estimated 444,000 barrels of oil being released.
Just like other oil spills and releases which have happened in the past, this is completely unacceptable and irresponsible. A long list of references to other oil spills is available at the Global Marine Oil Pollution Information Gateway.
Sadly, not enough enough people with power decided that the Exxon-Valdez spill was unacceptable enough, so by default, we had to accept that it would happen again. And it has. Other oil tankers have spilled oil in other locations around the world. For example, a CN train derailed and spilled "700,000 litres of bunker oil and other chemicals into Lake Wabamun, 50 kilometres west of Edmonton, in August 2005." There was also the Prestige oil tanker which sank off the coast of Spain in 2002, which spilled an estimated 63,000 tonnes of fuel oil.
And it will happen again if enough people with power again do not decide that this is unacceptable.
Each day gets sadder and sadder, and we are told the well may be stopped/capped sometime in August. But what if that plan doesn't work? How is it acceptable that we should have to wait that long? How much more oil will be released by then?
The Reuters article indicates that "the U.S. government and military do not have the technology to plug the leaking well..." If they didn't have the technology, they should have it by now, a month and a half later. Why would the government allow the possibility of any activity which it would not be able to stop, or defend against?
For that matter, why are we as a society pursuing anything, off shore oil drilling included, which has the potential of becoming the "biggest environmental catastrophe"? Only thrill seekers run toward the edge of cliffs, but there is no thrill in watching this disaster unfold.
Why would we pursue anything in our cities and regions which has the potential to seriously damage our ecosystems, diminish biodiversity, increase our ecological footprints, increase the number of homeless, or injure opportunities for entrepreneurship? The answer typically has something to do with the almighty dollar, but I do not believe this is a good enough answer anymore.
We should be hearing some serious debate about whether the oil economy should even continue, given such potential for disaster, and the fact that we have multiple other viable sources of energy available to us (e.g., solar, wind, geothermal).
We should also be hearing more about alternative plans of action, plans which can be implemented prior to August. What is Plan B, C, D, etc. If the flow could at least be slowed down with a number of different methods, that would help.
It is sad to watch the area residents in tears, powerless to do anything about it, and many in tourism and fishing industries are even powerless to work.
Each day gets sadder and sadder, and we are told the well may be stopped/capped sometime in August. But what if that plan doesn't work? How is it acceptable that we should have to wait that long? How much more oil will be released by then?
Some models have suggested that the oil will gradually end up on the Eastern coast of the United States and Canada. What will this mean for cod fishers and coastal tourism operators? There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered.
This did not have to become the "biggest environmental catastrophe" in U.S. history, had the proper safety controls, policies and backup upon backup in place.
This should not have dragged on so long, and this should not be allowed to drag on any longer.
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Contact Myron Belej, MCIP, AICP at myron@cityplanner.ca to:
- invite Myron to speak at a conference or event
- feature a version of this article in another publication
- inquire about Myron's consulting or coaching services
- request more information
Learn more about 'How to Hire Myron'.
Contact Myron Belej, MCIP, AICP at myron@cityplanner.ca to:
- invite Myron to speak at a conference or event
- feature a version of this article in another publication
- inquire about Myron's consulting or coaching services
- request more information
Learn more about 'How to Hire Myron'.