Environmental News

I.e. we know that it will disappear within 45-50 years from initial spill?

 

An earlier study of the incident suggested that the cleanup (high pressure steam guns to wash the rocks) actually caused more harm than if they'd done nothing.

I'm not suggesting that the right course of action would have been to do nothing, but rather just to point out that

a) more research is needed
b) despite all the problems and lack of preparation...

...Alaska was (then) one of the best-prepared sites to have an oil spill. And it's gotten better since then.

 

The bottom line ... outside of the previous spills ... is that we don't need any offshore drilling.

 

Gulf of Mexico bacteria did a pretty good job on the Deepwater oil suspended in the water. Not sure about the sea bed but I suspect debris has already put a layer over it.

Perhaps some gene-splicing of cold water bacteria might lead to improved oil clean-up for the Arctic spills and blowouts.

Bob Wilson

 

Some would freak out over that suggestion.

The hurdle I see is the temperature. Microbial life takes a slower pace in the artic than in the tropics. Oil eating bacteria, and there may already be some up there, aren't likely to be fast consumers.

 

The Gulf is a naturally oil-rich environment, from the zillions of natural small and slow oil seeps. Thus, it has developed a decent supply of these natural oil consumers. The coast off Los Angeles would be somewhat similar. Not good for giant acute incidents, but reasonable for small chronic dispersed flows.

Most Arctic areas don't have anywhere near as much natural oil, so there is a much smaller base (if any) of these natural oil eaters.

As Trollbait mentions, I suspect ambient temperature is also a major factor. Plus, releasing even more GM varieties into the wild will be a massive political football.

 

WILL YOU SWITCH OFF FOR YOUR WORLD THIS EARTH HOUR?
Saturday 30 March @ 8.30pm

SATURDAY 30 MARCH
SWITCH OFF FOR YOUR WORLD

Every year millions of us take part in Earth Hour. By making pledges to help our planet, and by being part of a movement of hundreds of millions more around the globe, we can show we’re fighting for our world.

We are the first generation to know we are destroying the world. And we could be the last that can do anything about it. We have the solutions, we just need our voices to be heard.

That’s why Earth Hour is so vital – it gives a powerful voice to people everywhere who want to put the world on the path to recovery.

The world’s biggest landmarks – such as the Sydney Opera House, Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, Carnaby Street, Buckingham Palace, and Edinburgh Castle – switch off lights as a visual display of their commitment. And you can switch off too.

Join the global movement this Earth Hour – switch off your lights and be part of the change.


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nope, and idk anyone who does. waste of time and energy.

 

empire state building, that's rich. the rest of the year, they waste more energy than the nation as a whole.

 

Earth Hour 2019 - the first step towards making nature matter

This Saturday, 30 March at 8.30PM local time, is Earth Hour. The world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment grows another year older and will continue to unite millions of people around the world who take part in this annual celebration. Earth Hour 2019 with its campaign ‘#Connect2Earth’ aims to build mass awareness on why nature is important and create an unstoppable movement for nature similar to when the world came together to tackle climate change.

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Impact Beyond the Hour

Earth Hour, the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment, is set to once again unite millions of people around the world to show their commitment to the planet.

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When nature thrives, so do we

Did you know that globally, nature provides services worth around $125 trillion a year? :O As we go about our daily lives, it’s easy to forget that we depend on nature for every single thing! From the very air we’re breathing right now, to the food we love, and the water we drink to quench our thirst, we simply can’t survive without nature and all that it provides.

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Nothing natural about nature’s steep decline: WWF report reveals staggering extent of human impact on planet

Humanity and the way we feed, fuel and finance our societies and economies is pushing nature and the services that power and sustain us to the brink, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018.

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actually, i was hoping you would bring that up

 

oh contrare, much more interesting than turning my lights off for an hour a year

 

Just one hour a year? Eff that, it would be a serious step backwards for me.

Help astronomy (amateurs included) and the environment vastly more by turning off or shielding your outdoor lights 4000 hours per year, or converting to proper ergonomic (and greatly energy saving) outdoor lights that don't waste light upwards and glaringly direct into people's eyes.

International Dark-Sky Association

International Dark Sky Week: March 31 - April 7

 

you mean george costanza, or bob costas?