We may be powerless to advise the experts or force the perps to walk the plank. And we are not to blame for the industrial orgy of consumerism foisted on our modern livestyles. But turning this around is up to us; not heading to the Gulf, or saving oiled birds. This disaster spills over our pitiful remedies. We’ll have our hands full battling the attack it presents on human survival and biodiversity. For the right now: stop using oil. Impossible? Well then we’re spilt milk.
BP is entirely right to ignore better efforts to protect the coast from contamination. No amount of boom will insulate us from the oil barrage receiving continuous reinforcement from the blown well. Like paper towels to clean a bathtub, it’s make-work window dressing. There’s a perfectly apt Titanic idiom, but here’s another: are you really going to worry about passengers putting their wet shoes on the deck chairs?