Today's disaster, Ecological destruction of celtic coast

[Welsh Guy]

I don't know how much the US media covers things in the outside world, but I would like you all to spare a moment for the people of Galicia, one of the oldest Celtic Nations in Europe.

Today a 24 year old single hull Tanker called the "Prestige" carrying 70,000Tons of oil split in two off the coast of Galicia in Northern Spain and has devastated the wildlife and fishing communities of the area.

This is a bigger tragedy than the "Exon Valdise" off Alaska and will take many years to heal.

These tankers have been outlawed by the European Commision, though they allowed for a five year phasing out period.
The result is that oil companies, greedy for profits, have been maximising their use of these "rust buckets" while they can.

Galicia is one of the most ecologically sensitive coastlines in Europe and as a Celtic Nation (related to Wales and Cornwall) I would like to extend our deepest sympathy to our cousins.

[free2Bme]

How terribly sad! Thanks for the info - unfortunately our American news is all gobbled up by the War on Terrorism. The oil companies sound like a bunch of ecocolgical terrorists!

[CelticRadio]

I've seen alot of news coverage on this terrible tragedy on the big news sites such as msnbc and cnn.

Our sympathy to Galicia and our hopes that this mess can be cleaned up. I know alot of new technology has been developed to clean up these spills, but not on this level. Hopefully those big internal tanks have not broken apart. Has anyone heard if they have. The last I heard was they may be on the bottom of the floor and depending on the tempertures may solidify - but I am sure that is the best scenerio.....

[Catriona]

According to the BBC News this morning, the hulk lies 3 miles down and they are not sure whether or not the unbreached storage areas will remain secure.  Work is ongoing to ascertain what to do next.

[Cabbagehome]

This is a  terrible tragedy, that was so unnessary. Why do companys force us to be so dependent on OIL. There are so many better way to get energy. All of our prayers, go out to Galicia, and everyone working to clean this up.

[Falachaidh]

How aweful! My heart goes out and thoughts of a thorough recovery. Man definately takes too much away from nature.

[Catriona]

The BBC carried a report first thing this morning that another, worse, spill was coming ashore from the ship...

There are demonstrations today at Santiago de Campostela...  Those poor people rely on the sea for a living...  For two weeks they have been unable to put to sea.  It now looks as thought it is even worse than first thought.

[scottish2]

I personally feel it's time the people of the world united and demand not ask but demand that their government (yes US Included) make tougher environmental laws to help prevent this in the future and if they refuse hold them accountable for every single action that their inaction caused!

I mean a lot of this is preventable. FOr instance why not push that by 2010 at the latest automakers produce only electric cars or at least hybrid and 5-10 years later full electric or something less polluting. This alone if done the world around would get rid of a lot of gas usage hence less oil would be needed and also less pollution from auto exhust!

[Catriona]

It's the USA that, consistently, drags its feet in conservation matters.  Look how many times recently they have refused to ratify agreements made by all other major countries.

I recently read somewhere that the USA consumes over 70 per cent of the world's oil..... 70 per cent.....   that's mind-blowing.  Perhaps a price hike to the levels in Europe might make Americans think twice about still going for bigger and better cars, off-roaders, and what we call 'people carriers'...   small van-type cars that carry 7 or 8 people....

Cynics say that the US' stance on Iraq is as much to do with securing oil interests as anything to do with terrorism.

[scottish2]

But as I said why bother with Oil why do we need to coddle the oil companies. What are we afraid of what that a few people might lose their job. Hey we have to look out for ourselves first before corporations that help destroy our fragile ecosystem and the internal combustion engine is a dinosaur that doesn't know it's obsolete. Am going to post this speech that Steven Seagal gave at the end of the movie "On Deadly Ground" While I don't know the validity of teh speech in actual terms I do feel it is probably close to being accurate even for a movie.

Quote

The Message of the film "On Deadly Ground" made in a speech by Steven Seagal How many of you out there have heard of alternative engines? Engines that can run on anything from alcohol to garbage and water? Or carburetors that can get hundreds of miles to the gallon? Or electric or magnetic engines that can practically run for ever? You don't know about them because if they were to come into use, they'd put the oil companies out of business. The concept of the internal combustion engine has been obsolete for fifty years. But because of the oil cartels and corrupt government regulations we, and the rest of the world, have been forced to use gasoline for over one hundred years. Big business is primarily responsible for destroying the water we drink, the air that we breathe and the food we eat. They have no care for the world they destroy. Only for the money they make in the process. How many oil spills can we endure? Millions and millions of gallons of oil are now destroying the oceans and the many forms of life it supports. Among these is plankton, which supplies 60 to 90 percent of the earth's oxygen, which supports the entire marine eco-system which forms the basis of our planet's food supplies. But the plankton is dying. I thought well, let's go to some remote state or country, anywhere on earth. But in doing a little research I realized these people brought their toxic waste all over the world. They basically control the legislation, and in fact they control the law. The law says that no company can be fined over $25,000 a day. For a company making $10 million a day by dumping lethal toxic waste into the ocean it's only good business to continue doing this. They influence the media so that they can control our minds. They make it a crime to speak out for ourselves. And if we do so, we're called conspiracy nuts. We're laughed at. We're all angry because we're all being chemically and genetically damaged, and we don't even realize it. Unfortunately this will affect our children. We go to work each day and right under our noses we see our car and the car in front of us spewing noxious and poisonous gasses that are cumulative poisons. These poisons kill us slowly, even when we see no effect. How many of us would have believed if we were told twenty years ago that on a certain day we wouldn't be able to see fifty feet in front of us? That we wouldn't be able to take a deep breath because the air would be a mass of poisonous gas? That we wouldn't be able to drink out of our faucets, that we'd have to buy water out of bottles? The most common and God given rights have been taken away from us. Unfortunately the reality of our lives is so grim nobody wants to hear it. Now I have been asked what we can do. I think we need a responsible body of people that can actually represent us rather than big business. This body of people must not allow the introduction of anything into our environment that is not absolutely biodegradable or able to be chemically neutralized upon production. And finally, as long as there is profit to be made from the polluting our earth, companies and individuals will continue to do what they want. We have to force these companies to operate safely and responsibly, with all our best interests in mind, so that when they don't we can take back our resources and our hearts and our minds to do what's right.

[Catriona]

Sorry to appear ignorant.... but who is Steven Seagal?

In lots of European we use a system of gas driven buses and/or trams.  I try, whenever possible to use public transport and not a car.  Many, many Europeans do likewise!  It's time that, as you say, the people in America learn that they cannot be the most conspicuous consumers of oil.....    It pollutes the planet!

I think that if more US citizens believed like you do, that polluting the planet is wrong, then surely legislators in your country would start to see that ratifying Treaties that the rest of the world hold to be necessary is the only way forward?

[scottish2]

Steven Seagal is a martial Artist/actor similar to Chuck Norris or Jean Claude Van Dam. In this case Seagals movie had an environmental storyline to it. Based on oil and similar issues in Alaska where the movie was set it.

As for the us government changing this that's almost laughable that it will even happen. With Bush at the helm he's determined to oppose any such environmentally freidnly laws and congress isn't much better they sell their sopuls to the highest bidder meaning if the corporations pay more they'll back the corps everytime. And as for getting people behind an innitative to protect the environment that's like trying to wake a sleeping giant almost impossible though we're trying we just have to get folks to get some courage to stand up to the government and demand for better laws that protect the environment because once that's gone it might never come back and surly not in our lifetimes and that goes got the child who was born this very second even he/she won't see the environment recover in his/her lifetime if it continues the way it is.

[Catriona]

Oh.... I've honestly never seen a movie made by any of the three men you have mentioned .... all that gung-ho posturing is not to my taste     Isn't Sylvester Stallone a similar type of actor?

I think it's sad that the US govt is so slack on environmental issues.....   As the world's most powerful economy, they should be LEADING the way, not putting obstacles in the way of environmentally sound policies for the world...

[scottish2]

Well shrub (Bush Jr.) didn't even bother attending the latest symposium on the environment held in South Africa recently' But then again he could care less about the environment. Lets see just some of Bush's agendas

• He's proposed opening a wildlife refuge so we can get more oil.
  
• He's proposed logging to help supposedly prevent forest fires. I mean come on what are we suppose to do cut every tree down in the world because it MIGHT create a forest fire.
  

This is but two issues I am aware of am sure more exist because of his nature. The love of environmentally unfriendly practices such as oil.

[scottish2]

ARe you as tired of oil usage as I am? Have a look at what Green Peace is doing to help the situation and join in helping to Save the Earth!  

http://www.greenpeace.org/interna....d=70689