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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sigismund on May 2, 2010, at 3:15:40
I can't recall feeling more upset about an environmental catastrophe than about what is unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.
And of course it feels like the shape of things to come.
In Australia it took them forever to cap the well on the North West shelf.
At least the US is taking solar energy seriously by building large scale solar power plants.
We can't manage that. The best we can do is talk about nuclear.
Posted by PartlyCloudy on May 2, 2010, at 7:03:12
In reply to BP, posted by sigismund on May 2, 2010, at 3:15:40
I'm frightened and appalled. And I live on the Gulf of Mexico coast, at the moment not in an area that's immediately threatened; but it's most obviously just a matter of time before it hits our shores.
So sickening to watch unfold before our eyes.
Posted by Angela2 on May 2, 2010, at 10:50:39
In reply to BP, posted by sigismund on May 2, 2010, at 3:15:40
the oil spill to me is just awful. I can't believe bp didn't have an emergency plan. What can we do to help??
Posted by Dinah on May 2, 2010, at 11:33:41
In reply to BP, posted by sigismund on May 2, 2010, at 3:15:40
It's horrible. I can't imagine what will happen to the fishermen and the small towns that rely on fishing. I woke up feeling so depressed. They've been through enough already.
They haven't even begun to stem the tide of oil yet, much less the cleanup. The waters are too rough. The local parishes are doing what they can to keep the oil out of the wetlands and out of the lake.
We've got to figure out what went wrong and how to build in safeguards so it doesn't happen again.
I wish there was something I can do. As far as I know there's nothing. The volunteers they're asking for so far is fisherman and other people with boats to help try to block the spread of the oil into the wetlands and estuaries.
Posted by Deneb on May 2, 2010, at 11:57:08
In reply to Re: BP, posted by Dinah on May 2, 2010, at 11:33:41
I haven't been watching/reading the news. I had just heard a bit about the oil spill and had no idea it was this bad until Tetrix told me in chat last night.
It's horrible. They say it is the biggest oil spill ever. Fishermen are already affected. They can't fish right now in the most fertile water because the oil is headed that way.
I just really hope that people are making it worse than it really is, but it really doesn't sound good. That much oil has to affect something eventually.
I feel a bit guilty because the first thing I was worried about was if there is going to be oysters, shrimp and crawfish to eat in NO during my trip there.
Then I realized that the fishermen are facing losing their livlihoods and not having seafood just can't compare with that.
I really hope people are wrong when they say it could 10 years to clean up the mess.
Posted by sigismund on May 2, 2010, at 19:48:35
In reply to Re: BP, posted by Deneb on May 2, 2010, at 11:57:08
Normally the people whose lands pay the price of oil usage are safely out of the gaze of the world in areas no one cares about (unless to invade) such as the Niger Delta
http://planetark.org/images/wefull/53574.jpgI don't understand why solar power is not on the agenda here. We have the scientists (correction...we HAD the scientists, now they are in China and the US.) Even if you wanted to maintain the oil and coal industries, wouldn't you want another option up and running?
Posted by emilyp on May 2, 2010, at 21:05:53
In reply to Re: Shell, posted by sigismund on May 2, 2010, at 19:48:35
First, solar energy is not really a substitute for oil, which is primarily used for transportation.
But just focusing on solar how much more are you willing to pay for electricity if it is generated by solar, geothermal or wind power? Consumers want everything - clean energy, without risks at a cheap price. Right now, it is impossible to use alternatives without meaningfully increasing the price of electricity.
Posted by sigismund on May 3, 2010, at 0:46:04
In reply to Re: Shell » sigismund, posted by emilyp on May 2, 2010, at 21:05:53
Well, of course I disagree, to the extent that public transport (such as they have in Japan) is what you would replace the car with. The Japanese have not spent money on roads. I saw no freeways, certainly not from Osaka to Kyoto. And all the cars in Kyoto seemed old. I kept an eye out for Mercs and BMWs. Just a couple in a month. Well, that's a cultural difference too, about the taste involved in ostentation.
And of course the price of electricity should reflect the cost of it, including the environmental cost. When that happens, renewables will be competitive. But we have exactly the same problem here. Maybe the science is wrong. I hope so.
On a different note, an American called John Francis was here recently. He was driving across the Golden Gate Bridge more than 20 years ago when he could smell the oil from the latest spill. His response was to stop driving cars. Then he ended up having all these conversations about it that were pretty crappy. So he stopped talking and walked around the planet. God knows how he survived without speaking. Anyway, he stopped speaking for SEVENTEEN years. (Won my heart with that!) Then one day he decides his silence and walking were a variety of egotism, so he caught a bus and started talking again.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/142620275X/?tag=xiak-20
Posted by Dr. Bob on May 4, 2010, at 11:04:53
In reply to Re: BP, posted by Deneb on May 2, 2010, at 11:57:08
> I wish there was something I can do. As far as I know there's nothing. The volunteers they're asking for so far is fisherman and other people with boats to help try to block the spread of the oil into the wetlands and estuaries.
>
> Dinah> I feel a bit guilty because the first thing I was worried about was if there is going to be oysters, shrimp and crawfish to eat in NO during my trip there.
>
> DenebI wish there were some way we could help (and enjoy the seafood, to) while we're there. But of course we won't have boats!
Bob
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