This post was written by Mandy Warner, climate policy analyst at the Environmental Defense Fund.
Climate 411
Somewhere Over the Gulf Coast: A “Glee” and BP Oil Disaster Mashup
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jPjJPVdR4g
From a comfortable distance – in our classrooms, around our water coolers, through pictures on TV or newspapers – the BP oil disaster is depressing and horrific.
But up close where every breath you take fills your mouth, nose, and lungs with the toxic mix of oil and industrial chemicals, where you talk with resilient and proud locals and hear their frustration, anger, and concern, where the disturbing and unforgettable scenes of a precious and fragile ecosystem in crisis are just seared into your mind – all of it is just so bad, so repugnant, so wrong in the most profound way.
Two days in the Gulf of Mexico left me enraged – and deeply resolved. Both the widespread damage and the inadequacy of the response effort exceeded my worst fears.
Seeing terns and gulls sitting on the oil-soaked booms that were supposed to be protecting their fragile island marshes – booms that had been blown or washed ashore – may have been the ultimate symbol of the devastation unfolding in the Gulf.
Or maybe it was the lone shrimp trawler, aimlessly circling off the coast, dragging a saturated gauze-like boom behind it, accomplishing nearly nothing.
Or maybe it was the desperation of the fishermen whose livelihoods had been snatched away by BP’s recklessness – and yet want nothing more than to see the moratorium on drilling lifted so their economies don’t dry up, as well.
I’d spent a full day on the Gulf and we ended up soaked in oily water and seared by the journey into the heart of ecological darkness.
By Tuesday night, I was home. My throat burned and my head was foggy and dizzy as I showed my pictures and my flip-camera video to my wife, Fran, and my 13-year-old daughter, Nicole, on the TV in the family room.
Images of the gooey peanut-butter colored oil and the blackened wetlands flashed by. Pictures of dolphins diving into our oily wake and Brown Pelicans futilely trying to pick oil off their backs popped on the screen. And, out of nowhere, Nicole put on the music from the season finale of Glee.
With all these horrific images on the screen, she had turned on the show’s final song of the year, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” The song, a slow, sweet, ukulele and guitar-driven version, couldn’t have added a deeper sense of tragic irony.
I choked up. And then that resolve kicked in: I wanted anyone/everyone to see what our addiction to oil had done to the Gulf and to contrast that with the sense of hope and possibility that “Somewhere” exudes.
Long story short, last weekend, Peter Rice, Chairman of Fox Networks Entertainment, gave Environmental Defense Fund the green light to use the song. The pictures you’ll see were shot by two incredibly talented EDF staffers, Yuki Kokubo and Patrick Brown – and a few are mine.
The inspiration was Nicole’s. This is for her, and for all of our kids – and theirs to come.
David Yarnold is executive director of Environmental Defense Fund.
Also posted in News, Oceans, Policy, Science Read 1 Response
The voices of a new clean energy future – June 15, 2010
The Huffington Post – “The Gulf Spill: Hitting Bottom in Our Addiction to Oil”
By Wendy Gordon, green consumer movement leader
“With the American Power Act, we have a bill in the Senate, finally, that uses market mechanisms to manage our energy use. If we want to get out of denial and reap the rewards of going into recovery–and ensure our children a life without this spiraling addiction–we each need to conserve energy, yes, but what we really need to do is support our Senators in passing a strong bill that puts a price on carbon.”
Politico – “Taking Environmental Responsibility”
By Rep. Mike Honda & Fabien Cousteau. Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) is a member of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. Fabien Cousteau, founder of Plant a Fish, a nonprofit organization that seeks to replenish undersea life in environmentally stressed areas, is a third-generation ocean explorer, filmmaker and environmental advocate.
“In 10 years, when we look back on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, hopefully we can note that 2010 is when it all changed — when American policymakers and people finally figured it out.”
“The water, the air and the land won’t repair themselves anytime soon. We must foster advocacy, conservation and restoration of our natural world in every decision going forward.”
Health benefits of low carbon living and Obama’s appeal
Marc Gunther makes the case to cut carbon by examining the health benefits of a low-carbon lifestyle.
“One argument we haven’t heard nearly as much is that acting to curb the climate crisis will be good for our health. This could be a relevant, personal and powerful message. What’s more, while the climate benefits of burning cleaner fuels, eating less meat or driving less won’t be felt for decades, the health benefits are immediate.”
E2 has an excerpt from President Obama’s email appeal to supporters, asking them to sign a petition in support of energy legislation.
“The House of Representatives has already passed a comprehensive energy and climate bill, and there is currently a plan in the Senate — a plan that was developed with ideas from Democrats and Republicans — that would achieve the same goal,” Obama said. “So I’m asking for your help today to show that the American people are ready for a clean-energy future.”
The voices of a new clean energy future – June 14, 2010
Denverpost.com – “Five Pillars of a New Sustainability”
By Henry Dubroff, a writer and entrepreneur, and by John J. Huggins, an entrepreneur and investor
“The environmental, economic and personal tragedy unfolding on the Gulf Coast is a clarion call to the country to redefine, expand and embrace the idea of sustainability.”
“There are five pillars of an economy that can grow and sustain itself for decades without bringing us to the edge — or perhaps over the edge — of an ecological catastrophe that was man-made and therefore utterly avoidable. Instead of tweaking a few regulations or adding a chapter or two to compliance manuals and pretending the problem has been fixed, the Deepwater Horizon debacle demands a major overhaul of our energy thinking.”
“Achieving a new balance of energy sources, environmental policies and economic stewardship won’t happen overnight. But “sustainability” broadly defined becomes both a solution and a goal for moving us forward toward a better future for ourselves, our children and our world.”
Murkowski Resolution defeated
After hours of lengthy debate last Thursday, Senator Murkowski’s resolution of disapproval which declared that greenhouse gases do not pose a threat to public health and therefore should not be regulated by the EPA, was voted down on the Senate floor. This is good news but what does it mean for the chances of climate bill?
E2 has a note from ClearView Energy Partners, a consulting firm, which explains that
“No Republicans voted against the resolution. This does not mean, however, that that all 41 Republicans will vote against a climate bill that could deliver substantial economic benefits to their states. Although American Power Act architect Lindsey Graham (R-SC) remains opposed to the legislation he helped craft, we reiterate that, with (a) a pro-drilling, pro-safety compromise that provides political “containment” of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill; and (b) explicit support by coal state Democrats, Senator Graham and other green-leaning Republicans may find themselves with the opportunity to negotiate even greater provisions on behalf of their constituents in return for offering the decisive votes in support of passage (60 Senate votes would be required).”
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