The Hidden Costs of Oil Dependence

Recently we went on a NYC trip with my mother accompanying us. Having visited exotic Maldives earlier, Hawaii has been on my wish list ever since I came to San Diego. So initially I tried to lure them to Hawaii instead of NYC saying we can rest on the beaches etc . But my mother single-handedly vetoed the proposal saying "resting is all she is doing currently and she doesnt have to go to Hawaii to do the same". My wife, the metro-phile that she is, was relieved. Anyways, given my penchant for nature and places that glorify that in pristine form, two pieces of news got my attention recently.

First one of them is disturbing to say the least - the Oil spill from a BP oil rig in Gulf of Mexico - I trust the BP folks are doing their best to stop it. When the effects are so obvious and visible, there is very little they could do to cover it up. They even tried misquoting the barrels of oil leaked per day but truth came out eventually. What troubles me is the sheer damage to nature that this oil leak has wreaked - think about the pollution to the otherwise pristine sea water, habitats of countless aquatic life forms destroyed beyond repair, loss of marine life and its effect on the lower food chain, the oil reaching the shore damaging flora and fauna there. I cant imagine how long will it take before nature recovers from this setback. Nature, in my view is like a good parent - very forgiving. But then I am starting to doubt if we as humans are testing its patience and good nature under the pretext of civilization. This hidden cost, borne out of excess dependence on oil, is not even measurable.

Second one is rather interesting and in a way related to the one above. Recently came across this news . To cut to the chase, an ad agency on behalf of the supporters of clean energy bill sponsored an ad campaign on DC buses that portrayed Iran president Ahmedinajad and the words "Iran makes a KILLING everyday we wait". I thought it was political (US vs Iran stuff) till I read the news fully. The ad sponsors are just trying to get attention of public towards their "clean energy bill measure" by using the political tussle between the nations highlighting how an oil exporting country like Iran, which is US' nemesis on world stage, is benefiting from US' oil dependence. At the outset, very creative ad for a very very noble cause I admit , cleverly designed to capture public attention using the current political climate. But the way in which it tried to grab attention is distasteful and, as you see in the article, has led to ethnic Iranian groups protesting against it.

Still: One of nature's delight, unbridled beauty of Niagara Falls (horse shoe falls). My camera battery was dying and just managed this one shot of the falls from the boat. Taken with Lz8 P&S.