Our Environment Will Suffer, and if We are not Careful, it Might be a Real Disaster
Offshore oil-rig image C Morrison
Friends of the Earth
I got an email from Friends of the Earth and the news they supply is not good. The environment, which we should take good care of as it is the inheritance we will leave for the following up generations, is in danger. It seems there is a new infrastructure plan which would open up even more of the public lands to Big Oil.
Can you imagine pipelines crossing your National Park? Have you thought about what would happen if there is an accidental oil spill or even a spill done on purpose? The damage to nature would be awful.
I think we have seen some terrible oil spills from ships, spoiling many miles of coastline and killing off water inhabitants and birds. People have also suffered the consequences as tourism to those places came to a near stop as it fouled the beaches.
Here you can read about the worst oil spills and what happened to fauna and flora. A very sad story, I must say.
Oil-rig explosion image skeeze
When an oil spill happens on land, it takes ages to become nontoxic and in the meantime can pollute underground water you might one day need to survive.
Beware of this new infrastructure plan.
It does not mean this new infrastructure plan is to better our lives but to fill the pockets of the fossil fuel industry. They will invade the wild and beautiful places similar to what happened to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante.
It cannot be that the clean air and the clean water will be sacrificed just to increase the profits of Big Oil and related companies. I personally wonder what a leader of a country might have in his head. It seems the vision of $ that’s it.
Gulls at sunset image Krzysztof Niewolny
The Keystone Pipeline is a danger
During the Obama administration, they effectively blocked the construction of the Keystone Pipeline. But the Trump administration was pushing forward with the transport of Canada Oil Sands to refineries in Louisiana. This is another unmitigated disaster.
Additionally, the energy consumed to recover and process the oil sands tar into usable crude is almost equal to the energy gained. In the not too distant past, the Return on Energy costs were 25 to 1, or 25 barrels could be produced for the cost of one barrel of oil. The tar sands oil costs 2.9 to 1 (2013 data). Many banks and insurance companies are not willing to invest in this project, because of its low rate of return. So it really is not worth it.
It is not only pipelines across a National Park, but the Trump administration also wants to give Big Oil carte blanche on some 90% of the oceans. That means that coastal communities from Washington State to Georgia are at risk. The safety standard has recently been lowered for offshore drilling. I do not understand this at all. More drilling and less safety, unbelievable, where is this leading to?
This video shows you what happened and even 5 years later the disaster is still visible.
The Situation in Spain
The Canary Islands belong to Spain and are a massive tourist destination. But since 2014 offshore drilling has started there. If something happens, the islands which live off tourism would be badly damaged. People would no longer come here during the colder winter months, as the weather here is very mild.
The situation is similar here to the Snow Birds in Florida. Luckily the islands are open to renewable energy and making investments in that direction, as after all the islands can boast a lot of sunshine and wind.
There were plans for oil drilling off the coast in the south of Spain. It did not happen just as well. The water in the Mediterranean takes 100 years to recirculate and a disaster would spoil the beaches on an enormous coastline.
Seals living in a clean environment image Kham Me
There were talks for gas drilling off the Costa del Sol coast, but luckily these plans were put on ice in 2015. A few years ago, there was a moderate earthquake in the Alboran Sea. I felt it sitting in my workroom, my chair was shaking. Now imagine you have some drilling platforms in that part of the Mediterranean. What a disaster!
A major disaster
It was a combination of failures, missteps, and poor decisions that led to this disaster. A disaster that had to happen, eventually. It is high time to make better energy choices, which will prevent others like it.
For months, oil gushed into the Gulf and Americans watched the real-time video of the enormous column of oil and gas which the blowout preventer could not prevent.
It was America’s biggest environmental disaster and happened on April 20, 2010
.
.
Conclusion.
We really should take better care of our environment, our coasts, seas, and oceans as the future generations also need a clean place to live.
Before you leave, pay a brief visit to Recommendations. It is a special page I made for you with a collection of things you might like.
Source: Wikipedia
Photo Source: Pixabay
We have to take care of our history as it is our inheritance. Archaeological sites belong to the people. We should do our best to protect and preserve them for the generations to come. Perhaps you like to read my previous and related post.
Comments
mercy
A very informative post you have and one thing I like about it is how you have shown different scenarios and how they affected or can affect the future, The fish families are also at danger and clearly shows why we should take care of our mother earth’s treasures.
Taetske
Good Morning Mercy,
Thank you for visiting my website and commenting on this post. It is quite amazing what the human being is capable of doing. A lot of times it is very negative with far-reaching consequences. Even future generations might suffer because of stupid decisions we have made. Bad decisions often have an underly reason namely greed. That a few greedy people/companies should destroy it all I personally find unacceptable and I do hope that we, the people, realize this and then do something to avert the disaster.
Regards, Taetske
Riaz Shah
Wow I never knew there are pipelines crossing national parks, that’s very dangerous especially when it starts leaking. One small spark can lit the entire park up in flames! Did the companies responsible in building those pipeline give any statements on those risks of pipe leakage and potential man-made natural disaster?
Taetske
Good Morning Riaz,
Thank you for leaving a comment on my website. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?
Depending on the status of a park, like a national forest, national park, or national monument. the laws vary. The most restrictive areas law wise are called wilderness areas. Now if a government lowers the status of any given area that might mean suddenly companies are allowed to pass with pipelines. At the moment we see this happening and that for sure is very negative.
Areas which for a long time were protected by strict laws are now opened up for exploitation of the resources as money rules.
Regards, Taetske
Danny
I’ve always been very interested in keeping up with the latest in environmental news. Fossil fuels in particular are such a controversial topic, I never quite know where to stand. I had no idea there was offshore drilling going on in the Canaries! I imagine this is worrying for the local ecosystem that relies on tourism, right? They don’t want tourists being put off visiting because of the drilling.
Taetske
Good Morning Danny,
Thank you for your visit and leaving a comment. I hope you got your free PDF?
I worked as a tourist guide in the Canary Islands in 1975, all was well and of course crowded with tourists in the winter season.
I am happy the permit to drill in the Mediterranean was put on hold. This sea is already the most overfished worldwide and of the most polluted with plastics. Just imagine we get also an oil spill, how horrible.
Regards, Taetske
Kenny
Hi and thank you for sharing this moving article. I appreciate what your saying and the message your putting out. In my opinion there should be a balance achieved. After all I bet if the oil companies had to build around key environmental locations like parkland, they would easily be able to afford the extra cost. Our earth is precious and we have to respect that. Thanks again, Kenny
Taetske
Good Morning Kenny,
Ofcourse the oil companies have more than enough money to invest in measures to not pollute. Sadly when laws are too lax these companies get away with a lot. Normally it is the environment including the people living in that particular area who suffer. We still have a long way to go.
Thank you for visiting my website, I hope to see you again.
Regards, Taetske
julienne murekatete
Thank you for such informative review. You are right our world is making things which will result our earth in danger. If i see around my country, it is complicated to find fish in our rivers because of Methane gas found in Kivu lake ,all those activity to remove gas made fish disappear. air pollution is increasing which results in cancer , tuberculosis,..
We must stand up and conserve our environment in contrary we will all die so the environment will.
Taetske
Good afternoon Julienne,
Wherever you look in the world you can observe our sins to the environment. The planet we will leave for our grandchildren will not be as beautiful as it still is today.
You tell me about Methane gas in the Kivu lake in Africa. I wrote a post recently about Methane gas in a lake high up in Alaska. These lakes are an added danger for our planet. It is a really bad situation and I hope people will realize this before it is too late.
Thank you for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?
Regards, Taetske
Lev
The current situation on our beloved mother earth is appalling and horrendous. It is imperative to switch from fossil fuels such as coal and oil that are killing our planet with CO2, to wind and solar immediately. 1 hour of harnessing 1% of the sun can power the planet for 24 hours. The citizens of the world need to unite to make this a reality.
Taetske
Good afternoon Lev,
Thank you for visiting my website and leaving a comment. I hope you got your free PDF?
My new post which was published today calls awareness to the fact that the clock is ticking. There is not much time left to get our act together otherwise Climate Change will make life a lot more difficult.
There are many countries who are going in a green direction even if they are not 100% green yet. The problem is all countries should go green soon. Sadly some are still too stubborn to see the consequences of their actions.
Regards, Taetske
Shane
Hi Taetske, you have bought to my attention something i will never forget, the damaging effects on our environment in the name of modern society are truly horrific. The Deepwater Horizon event still makes me sick when i remember the images of the oil flowing freely into the ocean until they could eventually cap it. I admit i drive a motorcar and use oil, but we need to respect our planet much more than we currently do.
thanks for your informative site, Shane
Taetske
Good afternoon Shane,
It is really sad what is happening in our world, the world which belongs to all people.
Of the Spanish coast, years ago, there was this oil spill which polluted a long coastline. I still remember the pictures I saw on TV. These oil spills worldwide killing masses of animals and also ruining peoples business, too sad.
We have to take better care of Mother Earth, she is our habitat.
Thank you for your visit and leaving a comment.
Regards, Taetske
rob
There is so much that we as humans can do stop or even curb the deterioration of our beautiful planet. The trick is getting enough people on board to realize this and actually educate them on the major issues we as a race are causing for ourselves and our home. It’s posts like this will help with enlightnment process and then more improtantly the action taking step.
Thank you for this amazing informative and warning post. Please keep it up as the world needs to hear what you have say.
All the best
Rob
Taetske
Good Morning Rob,
I think the change can and should start in our own home. When I look back I see that I have adopted habits that are more environmentally friendly. The authorities have also bettered their ways in recycling, wastewater treatment. etc. I was surprised when a Spanish woman told me little children, from 3 years onward, were taught about waste management in school. They learn how to separate waste and once a week a small child is responsible for taking it to the road to the different containers.
New laws on animal cruelty and environmental pollution are in place, so in total one sees a positive change in society. A lot more is needed, and I hope that the younger generation is more conscious of the need to preserve the environment. Have a look at the sidebar, Save the Planet. bUnited might resonate with you.
Thank you for your comment. At the tulip widget you can download a Free PDF of your choice.
Regards, Taetske
Rob Sturdy
Wow! I guess I didn’t really know that an oil spill can take over 100 years to be officially cleaned up. I agree that that is not good for anybody. And when I see a spill happen in or near water, I would think it would be impossible to clean up. Just like anything else, there is risk and reward. How many jobs are in the fossil fuels industry? If they were to lose their employment where else would they find work? It takes a lot of people to install and navigate any underground utility. How many of those jobs would be in jeopardy?
Taetske
Good Morning Rob,
Thank you for stopping by and for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF? Tulip widget.
In our world, there are many human activities harmful to our environment. The environment is our habitat. We do not owe Mother Earth; we are allowed to live our life here on earth and have the obligation to take care of her. I think a big change is needed, and soon. At the rate we are misusing the earth’s resources, there will not be much left for future generations. Trees are needed for oxygen and they are burned or chopped up. The ice is melting and people will lose their homes. It does not look good.
There is a big shift happening and if we like it or not, we will have to adapt. When old systems become obsolete, new ones will be created and automatically create new jobs. There are countries that have become “green” or are going that direction. This proves it is possible and I hope more countries will follow.
Regards, Taetske