Follow UGA's Marine Science Departments research on the "lost" oil

Scientists at UGA were amongst the first to find signals of the underwater oil plume and more recently a thick layer of oil on the seafloor that was reported on NPR.

Dr. Samantha Joye, who is leading some of this research, has created a blog so you can flow along: http://gulfblog.uga.edu/

Surfrider Foundation Joins Forces with 350.org

 Surfrider Foundation was approached by 350.org to help raise awareness about climate change and their 10-10-10 Global Work Party.  We jumped at the opportunity to work with them because many of our programs and campaigns are inextricably linked to climate change.  Obviously, our Not the Answer campaign is a perfect match to help raise awareness about climate change, in general, and join forces with 350.org.

The goal of 10-10-10 is to inspire the world to tackle climate change and send a strong message to our leaders in government that we insist on enforceable laws that reduce CO2 levels to 350 parts per billion.   350 is the focus because scientists say that if we can't get below that, the damage we're already seeing from climate change will continue to accelerate.

The idea behind the 10-10-10 Work Party is simple.  Plan something in your local community that will help deal with global warming and raise awareness about the problem.    In Auckland, New Zealand, they're having a giant bike fix-up day to get every bike in the city back on the road.  In the Maldives, they're putting up solar panels on the President's office.  In Uganda, they are going to plant thousands of trees, and in Bolivia they're installing solar stoves for a massive carbon neutral picnic.

To find an event near you, go here.  










  

Latest Explosion in the Gulf

On Thursday morning, there was another oil rig explosion in the Gulf.  By Thursday afternoon, Mariner (who operates the production platform) confirmed all 13 workers were safe and accounted for.  By Friday morning, the Coast Guard reported to CNBC that a mile long oil sheen was seen near the Mariner explosion, but they were unclear if the oil was coming for the recent blast or the Deep Horizon spill from April.

The world breathed a sigh of relief when no major spill occurred, yet at the same time, environmentalists and local Gulf residents were disturbed that another explosion has happened.  According to a recent Washington Post article, rig fires, worker deaths/injuries and blowouts occur more frequently than the media reports.  The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management confirmed each year 650-850 serious "incidents" are reported in the Gulf.  

Clearly the recent explosion is another wake up call that we need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels.  Not only are fossil fuels perpetuating climate change, but the industry itself is risky, dangerous and dirty.  One way to begin that process is for President Obama and Congress to permanently ban new offshore oil drilling.  The Surfrider Foundation has maintained this position long before the "season of spills" in the Gulf.

Grist Magazine published a great article after the Marine spill last Thursday.  It's an interesting global perspective.