Heal Earth Now

An explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, has left behind a growing ecological mess. The explosion caused the rig to catch fire and eventually sink after burning for two days. 11 workers have been missing since the blast and authorities are assuming they were killed in the blast. When the oil rig sank, the oil lines became compromised and began to leak oil into the Gulf at a steady pace.

Resulting Oil Leaks

Initial reports said that the pipes were leaking oil at around 1,000 bbl per day. The oil is currently pooling off of the Gulf of Louisiana, but wind and water currents may push it into the coast within the next few days. The potential biological hazard increases exponentially as the oil slick moves into waters closer to the coast where wildlife tends to live and breed. A large section of the oil slick has drifted within 16 miles of the Mississippi River Delta, where it could also do a great deal of damage.

A new leak was discovered within the last 24 hours that is spilling almost five times as much oil as the first leaks. It is now estimated that the rig, which is resting on the floor of the Gulf, is spilling an average of 5 bbl of oil every day. At this rate, the recent disaster could become one of the worst oil spills in the history of offshore drilling.

Oil Spill Containment Efforts Intensify

Cleanup crews have begun performing in-situ burning to try to eliminate the oil that is on top of the water. The burns are carefully controlled, and is expected to dissipate a fraction of the spill. The majority of the spill is still floating in the Gulf of Mexico unimpeded. Officials on the coast of Louisiana have begun firing cannons to frighten away birds and other wildlife that may be in the path of the oil slick. Fishermen are running booms across large areas of the coast to stop the slick from coming too close in to the shore.

President Barack Obama has stated that the National Guard will be available to help in cleanup efforts if needed. The White House is monitoring the situation very closely, and intends to do whatever necessary to protect as much of the coastline as possible. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has declared a state of emergency as the slick continues to move toward the coastline.

Getting energy-efficient appliances means saving on money and energy in the long run, but investing in new energy-efficient may not be financially possible for some companies. First Choice Power wants to chip in to give back through $2,000 energy-efficiency grants. Organizations that need to replace their old inefficient heating/cooling equipment or lighting can apply for a Reduce Your Use(TM) Grant to become more green. To be eligible you must be in the Texas serviceable area of First Choice Power.

Guidelines and information about the grants are available at: http://www.firstchoicepower.com/texas-electric/reduce-your-use-grants.html

We know that carbon emissions are affecting climate change. A change in our environment is bound to affect the plants, animals and humans. Researchers are putting a number of live saved if we can reduce the amount of carbon emissions.

The calculations of lives saved were based on computer models that looked at pollution-caused illnesses in certain cities. The figures are also based on the world making dramatic changes in daily life that may at first seem too hard and costly to do, researchers conceded.

Some possible benefits seemed highly speculative, the researchers conceded, based on people driving less and walking and cycling more. Other proposals studied were more concrete and achievable, such as eliminating cook stoves that burn dung, charcoal and other polluting fuels in the developing world.

And cutting carbon dioxide emissions also makes the air cleaner, reducing lung damage for millions of people, doctors said.

“Here are ways you can attack major health problems at the same time as dealing with climate change,” said lead author Dr. Paul Wilkinson, an environmental epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The calculations are based on proposals that would cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050. To accomplish that, industrialized countries have to cut emissions by 83 percent. Obama’s proposal, also unveiled Wednesday with his Copenhagen announcement, is in sync with that.

Source: Associated Press

The United Nations would like to see a ban on the use of plastic bags. 

the United Nations Environment Programme says that growing marine litter is harming oceans and beaches worldwide.  It launched a report that takes stock of the growing garbage in 12 major regional seas.  UNEP’s Executive Director, Achim Steiner, says that “marine litter could be dramatically reduced by improving waste reduction, waste management and recycling initiatives”.  He also calls for a worldwide ban on thin film plastic bags.  In addition to this report, UNEP introduced a new online system which has the most globally comprehensive list of marine and terrestrial protected areas.

It has become fashionable to have reusable cloth bags so instituting a ban on plastic bags will not be a huge shock .  Not everyone uses those bags during their shopping excursion, but with a ban it would become necessary.  Some stores sell the reusable clothe bags for 99 cents.  But if more demand for those reusable bags were occur, I would not be surprised to the prices of those bags fall even lower.

According to KansasCity.com

The ban is already being tested in China, where retailers giving out thin bags can be fined up to $1,464. According to one nationwide survey, 40 billion fewer plastic bags were given out in grocery stores after the law’s enactment. In addition, Ireland managed to cut single-use plastic bag consumption 90 percent by levying a fee on each bag that consumers use.

In the United States, only San Francisco has completely banned plastic bags; Los Angeles will do so in 2010. Also, the city council in Washington, D.C., is set to vote on a five-cent-a-bag tax later this month. On first reading, the bill passed unanimously. Similar proposals have failed in New York and Philadelphia.

We will have to see how many other cities throughout the United States will also ban plastic bags.

Sources:KansasCity.com UN.org