Somebody. Anybody. Talk me down.

[Lucky 13]

I am an environmentalist. Education in zoology and conservation with specific courses in oceanography, marine biology, etc. Been working for over 10 years on issues of wildlife and habitat conservation around the globe. My current position is focused on the U.S. East Coast.

I am an educated, informed woman. Rational. Base my opinions on logic and fact.

But I am looking at this oil spill thing and cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel.


BEST case scenario, they stop the flow of oil TODAY, and the entire northern half of the Gulf of Mexico and its adjacent wetlands, beaches, and tidal areas are FUCKED, possibly forever. An entire ecosystem destroyed. Endangered species extinct. Collapse of fisheries. Done. Over.

But if they can't stop it VERY soon, like within the next couple of days... and we KNOW they can't... this will spread through out the gulf, the Caribbean, up the east coast via the gulf stream - polluting everything it touches along the way. And eventually, this will spread around the world.

In another article here, a fact I had long ago forgotten was brought to the forefront of my mind again: It takes one quart of motor oil to make 250,000 gallons of water toxic to wildlife. The life in the oceans controls much of the earth's oxygen production. If it were to die, or even a large portion of it were to die, no one knows how our atmospheric composition will be changed... we just know it will be VERY VERY bad, perhaps completely catastrophic.


I am literally sick and frightened and hopeless. I'm trying to be as logical as I can... but my logic keeps bringing me back to the facts above.

Can anyone please make a reasonable argument to me, based on science and fact, how we are not currently witnessing the eminent demise of our planet? How are we not completely screwed? Hell, at this point, if you have nothing logical... fucking make something up for me... cause I got nothin...