Comments on: In Deep Water: Can we afford to spill any oil?

By: Antonio Veiga

Antonio Veiga — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 22:28:34 +0000

29 more years of burning oil!
Will life last that long?

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:41:04 +0000

No, and the answer is not because, your question is actually rhetorical, but because we’re using up our natural resources on an outstanding rate. Malthusianism brings us closer to a not so pleasant picture.

All these oil spills are devastating to our maritime life, to our fauna, to our ecosystem. The 1978 was especially bad.

I honestly believe that with the treaty at Kyoto, the European Union and the rest of the nations will try long-term to better handle the situation under a more professional tone and with real measures for a more sustainable environment.

By: KT

KT — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:47:52 +0000

I’m also going add my call for an update here. As of 07/21/10 the well is *almost* capped and still leaking at a diminished rate with some concern that the whole seafloor might be subsiding and the well could completely collapse now that enough pressure has leaked out.

By: Rent French Chateau

Rent French Chateau — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 07:00:24 +0000

Really, It is well said. Special interests have too much influence. We need to at least take their money out of the electoral process to give politicians more leeway to do what is for the common good of the country.

By: Sisyphus

Sisyphus — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:39:51 +0000

“How can a device that has 260 failure modes be considered failsafe?”

Indeed, the system shutdown design of this so-called “Blowout Preventer” device is simply incredible. Were the designers of this subassembly impaired? A high school auto-shop class could have done a better job here.

Sick as it sounds, upcoming investigation efforts will likely result in no corrective action with respect to this glaring issue; and will simply focus on finger-pointing with respect to the installation, maintenance, and operation of the device as it was designed.

So take heart, Cameron company; you’ll be safe from having to “do the right thing” and change your design. BP and Transocean et al, don’t worry; they’ll never require you to correctively retrofit these electromechanical abominations which you have scattered about the seafloors of the world.

And everyone else, be at ease; the media and your governments will tell you “everything is under control.”

20 minutes into the future…

By: Lyle

Lyle — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:46:11 +0000

On the time to recover for the gulf. There are a couple of differences between the gulf spill and the Valdez. First as noted the kind of oil. Second because there are natural seeps in the gulf, albeit not in the volume of this spill, there exist native bacteria that will overtime have a feast. Third its much warmer in the gulf than Alaska so bacteria function much faster than in Ak. I have not seen a lot of documentation but it appears that Ixtoc did not produce damage that lasts till today. The temp means that the bacteria work faster. Despite the worries a major hurricane will break the oil into smaller and smaller particles and help more of it evaporate as the oil is in the spray. It will not be good for any land area it hits as the land will get an oil coating however.

By: Lisa LaSalle

Lisa LaSalle — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 03:59:50 +0000

I agree with Alycia that a graph of what other products are made from petroleum besides is gas. Worst case scenario now in June is that 200,000 gallons of oil a day, or more? are gushing into the Gulf of Mexico with the flow of oil growing with the different attempted repairs to the leak. Perhaps an updated graphic for June ? I wish by the time I write this its not needed, but sadly an update is called for already.

By: _meat_

_meat_ — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 05:45:35 +0000

Hi David – the graphic is great and very clear to understand. I thought you might be interested in the GOOD graphic depicting offshore drilling in the US compared to global production.

http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/1005/oil-consumption/flat.html

US production of oil is 1.6% of global production, with offshore drilling contributing only 21.4% to that grand US total.

The time for thinking about alternatives arrived 30 years ago and maybe we should step it up a little.

I’m going for a bike ride.

By: Brian Burchett

Brian Burchett — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:06:51 +0000

My American friends are getting confused by the difference between American and Imperial gallons …

By: Chris Holmes

Chris Holmes — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:11:16 +0000

Curse you, McCandless! Always beating me to the punch!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39083849@N05/4656415541/