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Title: Capitalismâs Bleeding Gulf Author: Frank Rizal Date: 2011 Language: en Topics: capitalism, Gulf of Mexico, Deepwater Horizon, ecocide, Northeastern Anarchist Source: Retrieved on February 2, 2012 from https://web.archive.org/web/20120202231455/http://www.nefac.net/bleedinggulf Notes: Written by Frank Rizal, a member of Workers Solidarity Alliance in Pensacola, Florida. Published in The Northeastern Anarchist Issue #15, 2011.
With its barriers, islands, peninsulas, marshes and inlets, the Gulf
Coast of the United States is known for its rich ecosystem and vast
wildlife inhabiting the Gulf Coastal Plain. The region attracts many
tourists who sightsee and fish along the marshlands in Louisiana, and
enjoy the white sands spending their summers across the Panhandle of
Florida and the barrier islands called the Emerald Coast. While
experiencing the natural surroundings of the Gulf Coast, tourists can
see the historical significance of the cultural heritage of the Creek
Indians, French and Spanish influences that coalesced to create a unique
southern gulf culture along the five states that make up the southern
coast of the U.S. Indeed, tourism is a major factor in the Gulf Coastâs
economy, along with the fishing and shrimping industries so
interconnected with the heritage along the Gulf. Yet, it only takes one
disaster to turn this major tourist area that brimmed with natural
beauty, vibrant culture, and contributed to a major part of the economy,
into a desolate dead sea.
Drilling at depths of 5000 ft. in the Macondo Prospect, situated in the
Mississippi Canyon deep within the Gulf of Mexico, lay the submerged
ruins of the Deepwater Horizon. The offshore drilling rig owned by
Transocean and leased by British Petroleum (BP) drilled for crude oil in
Block 252 of the canyon in the U.S. exclusive economic zone. This 9 year
old semi-submersible oil rig was 41 miles off the Louisiana coast when
methane gas pushed its way up and out of the drill column and expanded
onto the platform of the Deepwater Horizon. The platform quickly ignited
and exploded at 9:45 P.M. CDT on April 20, 2010. The explosion killed 11
workers and injured 17, many others escaped by lifeboats and
helicopters. Despite a three day search operation by the U.S. Coast
Guard, the workers that lost their lives due to the explosion were never
found. Multiple ships attempted unsuccessfully to extinguish the flames,
and after 36 hours, the burning Deepwater Horizon finally sank,
destroying the driller rising that connected the wellhead on the ocean
floor to the oil rig. [1][2]
Several weeks preceding the blowout at BPâs Deepwater Horizon, workers
had noticed leaks at the rigâs blowout preventer (BOP). Workers
complained about this issue and the danger that could ensue, yet nothing
was done to resolve the leak that finally led to the explosion at
Deepwater Horizon. Although the leakage was reported to both BP and
Transocean, the problem was not rectified and the operation continued
until the BOP failed. The question now is if Transocean and BP were
aware of the leakage, why was this allowed to happen? Itâs actually
rather simple to explain. BPâs internal documents and the House
Committee on Energy and Commerceâs investigation show that BP was
clearly trying to cut corners in the construction of this well. BPâs
poor decision making exacerbated the construction of an unstable well,
which includes the design of the well, as well as preparations for
testing the cementing of the well and making sure that the well was
properly sealed on top.
Additionally, these reports claim that BP chose a cheaper and faster
design for the final string of casing. To cut costs and maximize
profits, BP went with a method that utilized a tapered string, which is
the steel pipe lining the well, that is 7 to 10 million dollars cheaper
than any other. This tapered string method offered less protection,
especially if the cementing job was not done properly and gas rose up
the well as reports noted.
BP is the largest producer of oil and gas and has a heavy hitting record
of environmental as well as work condition violations. In 2005, BPâs
refinery in Texas City, TX exploded resulting in the death of 15 workers
and injuries of hundreds more. If it is not evident that BPâs capitalist
greed caused them to cut corners putting workers at risk, At this
refinery alone, they were fined over 87 million dollars for safety
violations. should be proof that BP is not at all concerned with the
safety of workers, the surrounding communities, and the environment from
where they exploit massive amounts of crude oil. [3]
Clearly, BP CEO and President Tony Hayward was well aware of the many
problems of drilling at such depths and that the wellhead was unstable
from the start. After all, engineers stated that it was a ânightmare
wellâ, yet Tony Hayward and crew made decisions for âeconomic reasonsâ,
cutting costs and in turn increasing chances of a massive blowout. And,
their decisions did cause a major catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico that
is now inundated with 90.4 to 178.6 million gallons of oil. [4]
After the Deepwater explosion, President Obama imposed a six month
moratorium banning exploratory drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The
decision was based on water depth. Thirty-three oil rigs stopped
operations, but shortly afterwards, Louisiana Federal Judge Martin
Feldman, who holds stock in Transocean, overturned the Presidentâs
moratorium. Now the Obama administration has imposed another moratorium
to ban offshore drilling until November 30, 2010. This decision is no
longer based on water depth but instead focused on shortcomings of BOPâs
and equipment, and the industryâs âinabilityâ to contain massive oil
spills. But, what good is a moratorium that shuts down operations of
thirty-three rigs when there are nearly 4,000 active oil rigs and gas
platforms along the Gulf Coast? [5][6]
BP used several different methods to stop the gusher caused by the
Deepwater Horizon explosion before capping it on July 15, 2010. Of
course, previous methods to stop the gusher failed but it is worth
mentioning the ideas of the brilliant engineers at BP. First attempted
was a method called âTop Hatâ. A 125 ton cap of concrete and steel was
lowered over the gusher by ROVâs to temporarily stop it. But, when
placing the four story domed cap, it failed because the umbilical hose
quickly filled with methane hydrate. Methane hydrate is an oil slush
that forms at very low temperatures, so naturally this would happen
considering the wells riser was so deep in the sea that it reached
temperatures of 30 degrees.
Second was âthe strawâ. BP sent ROVâs down to the base of the well where
the primary leak was located at the riser. The ROVâs then inserted a 4
inch wide pipe into the riser to suck the remaining gas and oil to the
surface. Next, BP tried to pump heavy mud and other fluids into the
riser valve function. The flow would then start to trickle and mud could
be chased with concrete to plug the riser and the wellâs structure on
the seabed. This procedure was called âTop Killâ.
There was also the âjunk shotâ plan, which would have been a desperate
measure taken by BP as a last resort. BP was to shoot masses of golf
balls, rope, tires and other random bits and pieces of garbage into the
riser. [7]
There was also talk about nuking the well. The Russians used a nuke to
seal a blown out well seeping oil and it was a success for them. So why
not consider this? Really, how much more damage could BP possibly cause
to the Gulf of Mexico? Surely not enough because in the end, these
capitalists can leave the area anytime like Tony Hayward did when he
went to watch his boat race in the U.K. and leave the hell on earth BP
created to be left to the proletariat to clean up the mess capitalism
created.
At the moment, BP is using skimmers in the cleanup effort. Many of the
people navigating the skimmers are commercial fishermen that BP put out
of work because of the explosion. In all, there are a total of 433
skimmers being used in the cleanup operation for the entire gulf. There
are 850 skimmers in the southeast and 1,600 in the continental U.S. that
are available but not being used by BP. There is plenty of red tape
involved, A giant Taiwanese supertanker called âA Whaleâ was going to be
converted into a skimmer and brought from Portugal into the Gulf of
Mexico, yet this did not happen because bureaucrats it was determined
that dispersants would stop the ship from collecting significant
portions of oil. The U.S. Coast Guard also grounded 16 skimmers
responding to the Gulf oil disaster because of safety regulations and
until the ships were inspected. Obviously, the skimmers that are
necessary for the cleanup arenât being used for one reason or another.
[8][9][10]
More than 500,000 feet of boom has been laid through the Gulf to stop
oil from reaching the shoreline. Boom is an orange inflatable used to
contain oil, but it does have its limitations. The waters in the Gulf
are vast and rough, making it difficult for the boom to work properly
and contain the oil. [11]
The disaster in the Gulf is only the fourth largest ecological disaster
caused by an oil explosion. The 1979 Ixtoc oil spill is the third
largest. It was finally capped on March 23, 1983 and took 10 months to
clean. In total, Ixtoc spilled 3 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of
Mexico. The circumstances of Ixtoc are similar to the Deepwater horizon
with pressure building up and shooting up causing an explosion. But, it
caused very little ecological damage. During the Gulf War in 1990, the
Iraqi government intentionally dumped oil into the Persian Gulf to stop
Marine amphibious units approaching Kuwait. There was about 11 million
barrels spilled doubling that of Ixtoc and causing long term damage to
impacted salt marshes along the coast. Recovery of the area is decades
away. While there is little information on the largest spill in the U.S.
the Lakeview Gusher in California blew due to a lack of technology in
the first quarter of the 20^(th) century. Its heavy flow of crude oil
created rivers of oil that workers had to cut off using sandbags and
barricades. The worst example of ecological destruction because of
invasive oil industry is Nigeria, which we will come back to later in
this essay. [12]
The coverage of the catastrophe in the Gulf has been limited in scope.
Limited in the sense that the media is only exposing certain amounts due
to a media blackout imposed by BP and their capitalist cohorts. There
have been instances where activists and journalists have been threatened
with arrest if they were to examine the impact areas. Gag-orders have
been imposed on cleanup workers, which prohibit them to speak with
activists or media. [13] BP has even gone as far as to buy off certain
search words pertaining to the disaster. When a user does an internet
search using certain words, the user will be redirected to the companyâs
official website for BPâs point of view. There has been a complete media
blackout, and BP is hiding the truth and will continue to mislead about
the facts of whatâs going with the disaster they created. [14]
Kindra Arnesen, wife of a commercial fisherman, was given unlimited
access to Unified Command. Breaking her silence on June 19, 2010 at the
Gulf Emergency Summit, Kindra spoke of officials coming into impacted
areas and the term âballoons and poniesâ that was given to them by joint
operations. What this means is that BP allocates all resources to the
impacted area so it looks as if they are doing the job and remaining
committed, but upon departure of the official, all resources are moved
out. As a victim of an impacted area, the information Kindra gave people
at the Gulf Emergency Summit was disturbing and verifies that what we
receive as information through mainstream media is limited in scope and
that BP is hiding the truth from us. [15]
With each attempted method of capping the blown out well, there will be
major ecological devastation to the impacted areas along the gulf coast.
Already many geographic areas that make up the gulf coast are
ecologically sensitive and shorelines have been receding for many years
due to many reasons. One reason is that the gulf coast is prone to many
storms and major hurricanes, most recently it saw Katrina, Rita and
Ivan. Much of the areas impacted by the crude oil from BPâs Deepwater
Horizon are still recovering from the damage caused by the storms over
the past few years but now are even more at risk due to this disaster.
created by the poor decision making of BP maintaining proper safety
equipment to prevent blowouts of this magnitude. As the crude oil
approaches the already receding coastline, the oil will seep into the
soil and contaminate plants.
In the Gulf, two coral reefs, the Gulf Flower garden banks and the
Florida Reef tract, are at risk. The coral reefs in the gulf host 25% of
marine life. Studies show that dispersants and oil droplets are far more
toxic than crude oil which will in effect cause much more significant
harm to the coral reefs. Furthermore, the use of dispersants will cause
widespread death to tiny colonial animals that build the reefs and slow
the growth rates of coral colonies. According to a scientific study in
2000, in 20 years âthe living corals on many of the reefs will be dead
and ecosystems dependent on them would be severely damagedâ. [16]
Corexit 9500, a controversial dispersant, is being sprayed from
airplanes as part of the clean-up effort. Developed by Exxon and
manufactured by Nalco, Corexit 9500 is a solvent that is four times more
toxic than the crude oil gushing from the blown out well. The combining
of the dispersant and the crude oil, in addition to the heat of the Gulf
of Mexico, will make an even more toxic substance that will be
devastating to sea and plant life in the gulf. In fact, the U.K. Marine
Management Organization is one of several countries to ban the use of
Corexit because the dispersant is one of the most toxic dispersants
being manufactured today. [17]
Much of the wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico is at risk due to the oil and
Corexit. Although the ecosystem is resilient, much of the wildlife is
endangered and the oil and dispersants spell out certain death, possibly
even extinction in more extreme cases, for birds and sea life along the
Gulf Coast.
Many animals have already died because of methods used in the cleanup
effort. BP puts the Gulf Coastâs wildlife at risk by hindering
volunteers who are trying to aide in rescuing animals that are tainted
by crude oil. Many of these volunteers are trained professionals that
are coming to rescue animals affected by oil, yet BP makes the
volunteers go through HAZMAT training as well as a three month waiting
period before they can actually get to work. So, in the meantime, after
the training of the volunteers, what are these workers supposed to do?
The workers are instructed to call a BP hotline and report the animal.
Worst of all, BP tells workers that if they attempt to move the animals
and the animal dies, the individual that tried to save it is liable for
the animal perishing. Volunteer workers are also told after they rescue
the animal that they should not do anything for three hours in order for
it to âstabilizeâ. [18]
There has already been a massive backlash throughout communities,
wildlife preservation organizations and media regarding the effects of
the oil gusher and the methods of cleaning it up and how it will affect
wildlife. Concerning endangered sea turtles, many have perished in burn
zones. Trapped with other sea life in 500 sq mile burn fields, many of
these endangered sea turtles such as the Ridley Kemps have been burned
alive. Conservationists have accused BP of stopping rescue efforts to
clear the impacted areas of endangered wildlife. Basically, when BP
enters into an area where they intend to burn oil floating a top the
water, there will be almost no chance of survival for the sea turtles.
Another issue presented is that oil floating in the gulf puts younger
generations of sea turtles at risk after hatching along the shores. It
is natural instinct for the baby turtles to automatically make their way
from the shore and enter into the Gulf, and once they do, they are at
risk because they will encounter oil. As David Godfrey of the Sea Turtle
Conservancy organization suggests, the young sea turtles are âdoomedâ
once they enter the oil polluted waters of the gulf. In an effort to
save future generations of sea turtles, conservationists are planning on
digging up 1,000 nests and moving them to hatcheries. Two groups of
Ridley Kemps nests that were dug up and moved have already hatched at
NASAâs Kennedy Space Center and have been released into the Atlantic
Ocean. [19][20]
Six months previous to the Deepwater Horizon explosion, Brown Pelicans
had been removed from the endangered species list. Brown Pelicans showed
resurgence in population growth after hurricane Katrina. With close to
50 years of recovery, the Brown Pelicans were at a safe level and no
longer endangered. Many of the Brown Pelicans had been exposed to
pesticides and DDT. Also, these birds were almost non-existent in
Louisiana and actually had to be brought into the area from colonies in
Florida. Now, one can see images of Brown Pelicans coated in crude oil
and the lives of these birds are at great risk because of the Deepwater
Horizon gusher. The danger the birds face is that when their feathers
are coated with the oil it will harden, hindering flight. The Brown
Pelicans will also not be able to control internal temperature which
could lead to dehydration and overheating. Younger Brown Pelicans are
also coated in oil because the parent unintentionally wipes oil on them
in their nesting colonies. Other risks they face is being poisoned by
toxins through the fish that they prey on, and that the toxins from the
dispersants and oil will seep into the eggshells of pregnant birds. [21]
Dead fish have also been reported floating around Lake Pontchartrain in
Slidell, LA. Scientists are still testing the fish to find out the exact
cause, but there was a thin sheen of oil close to where the fish died.
Tar balls were first spotted in July washing ashore Lake Pontchartrain.
[22] There have been reported fish kills in Mobile Bay in Coden, AL
where people have witnessed thousands of dead catfish washing ashore.
[23]
On June 17, 2010, an investigation was started concerning a 25 foot
sperm whale that was found dead around 77 miles south of the Deepwater
Horizon gusher. There have also been many reports to NOAA and Unified
Command stating that witnesses have seen sperm whales swimming in the
oiled water. [24]
The impact to wildlife along the Gulf Coast has been tremendous, and as
of July 15, 2010, 2986 birds along a five state radius have been
rescued, although not all survived. 718 of the birds either arrived dead
or were euthanized because of the deadly effects of BPs irresponsibility
and capitalist greed that caused the birds deaths. 660 turtles have been
rescued. Along the Louisiana coast, 106 of the 660 turtles were
recovered but only 9 survived with 97 dead due to the oil and
dispersants. 64 dolphins were rescued but for 35 that were found around
Louisiana, it was too late. This is only the beginning of the collapse
of the precious ecosystem with the death of the animals. The long term
deterioration of the ecosystem will yield much more death of marine
wildlife and birds that use the Gulf of Mexico as a stopping point
during their migration. [25]
Since the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, all eyes have been on the Gulf
Coast region because of how BP and the federal government have handled
the situation. With all the attention, many other ecological disasters
at the hands of capitalist exploitation of fossil fuels for a petroleum
based economy have seeped into the publicâs mind as mentioned
previously. Letâs take a look at Nigeria. Nigeria has been ignored until
the Deepwater Horizon explosion. For the past 50 years, Nigeria
experiences an Exxon/Valdez oil spill every year due to military
conflict, corroded and old oil pipelines. Nigerian swamps and mangroves
have been destroyed due to Shellâs oil business. Many Nigerians are
dependent on fishing as a local resource for their economy, yet it is
impacted by capitalist exploitation of oil. It is proof that there are
no interests other than corporate interests. [26]
Yet, the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico does not
constitute third world conditions for the gulf states but it does serve
as a waking example of how capitalists treat working class (and
surprisingly those in privileged working classes also) people in
general. Capitalism creates toxic and dangerous environments destroying
our ecosystems which will cripple local economies. They offer no real
solution of cleaning up what is left and restoring the conditions to a
pristine state.
Capitalists make absolutely no contribution to the communities affected
unless it is imposed by the state. They donât even play a part in the
local economy. We have to take into consideration how much of the profit
that BP and any capitalist thug in general give back to the communities
where they are exploiting resources.
Many working class people living in the areas most impacted by the BP
gusher of oil will be displaced. Reasons ranging from health issues
caused by the toxic dispersants, the burning of oil out in the gulf, and
because of the loss of income due to being put of work. Some of these
working class families are deeply rooted in these areas where commercial
fishing is dominant and what provides them with the means to live as
well as contribute to their community through a localized economy. Yet,
with the all the oil sheens and plumes, the workers in commercial
fishing are now without jobs, and many workers have been in the seafood
industry for generations. Indeed, this means that with the loss of the
commercial fishing industry, that an integral part of these workers
culture will diminish, or thinking the worst case scenario, disappear
altogether.
All though out the Gulf Coast region, many workers will be affected
because of the BP catastrophe. Commercial fishing and tourism are a
vital part of the economy and both industries have seen significant
declines as a result of the blown out well spewing millions of gallons
of crude oil a day into the gulf. The Deepwater Horizon blowout shows us
big oil is an industry that can completely destroy itself while
destroying other industries at the same time. The gusher of oil in the
gulf has stopped commercial fishing for the time being and will increase
a massive dead zone in the gulf that already exists. Also, service
sector jobs will be greatly affected because who wants to vacation along
beaches filled with tar balls and water inundated with crude oil and
toxic dispersants? So, workers in the service industry will either lose
work altogether or experience a decrease in income because of a stagnant
tourist season offset by big oil.
With the use of contractors, BP is also able to cut costs and still make
profit through exploitation of prison labor. In May, over 200 inmates
currently housed in work release facilities have been hired out for 8 to
10 USD in contrast to the much higher wage of 18 USD other workers
currently receive hourly for their labor in the cleanup effort. The
contract company SG& S Oil Recovery Products LLC has trained more than
148 prison laborers in Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
(HAZPOWER).
For more than two years, the owner of SG & S Oil Recovery Products LLC,
Jay Gaddick, has exploited prison labor because he knows prisoners face
dire consequences through stiff punishment if inmates are not compliant
with bosses. Petty capitalists like Jay Gaddick enable the predatory and
parasitic nature of corporations such as BP who are always looking for a
way to get around paying a decent wage to workers by simply exploiting
prisoners who often take huge risks if they donât fit the mold of what
bosses expect. This is typical of capitalism. A vital part of their
profit making scheme is to outsource to contractors who hire labor for
far cheaper than a hire a worker who is not in a desperate situation.
Additionally, the Department of Corrections garnishes 40% of the prison
workers wages for various reasons. Not only are these workersâ labor
being exploited for such a low wage, the state is taking a considerable
amount of income from them. If it is the goal of the DOC to reintegrate
prisoners back into society, they sure are giving them a dose of what
the working class has always known which is exploitation by capitalism
and oppression by the state. [27]
This outsourcing also undermines a vast majority of workers in the labor
pool who expect more pay and better conditions. Since the financial
crisis and the massive loss of employment, many workers are without work
and have been looking for work regardless if the work is outside their
field and the remuneration it offers. The statistics officially show the
percentage of unemployment of Louisiana at 7.0, Mississippi at 11.0,
Alabama at 10.3 and Florida at 11.4. But, these are the percentages
documented through the Bureau of Labor Statistics and are not at all
representative of the overall percentage of workers that are not
documented, collecting benefits and actively searching for employment.
Additionally, many of the workers on cleanup crews are brought into the
region meaning that many workers along the gulf applying for jobs with
BP contractors are left unemployed. [28] This shows again in capitalist
spirit that BP is going to cut costs one way or another to ensure that
they still profit at the expense of the working class along the Gulf
Coast.
Many workers along the gulf coast especially in the seafood industry
have been unemployed for months, and BP definitely sticks the knife much
deeper when hiring outside contractors leaving many local workers
seeking employment out in the dark. If not one of the lucky workers
hired on to be subjected to toxins and oppressive heat, fishermen are
now hired out as tour guides to showcase the destruction of the
environment caused by the Deepwater Horizon blowout. They are making
significantly less as being disaster tour guides for officials and
bureaucrats while showing how BPs greed has destroyed the very
environment fishermen call their home.
What also constitutes that this is a blatant attack on the workers is
the treatment of workers cleaning up the oil spill. There has been
criticism about the health hazards created by the crude oil and Corexit
9500 that workers are exposed to during the clean effort. At one point
in time, workers were not even issued respirators. In fact, if workers
supplied their own respiratory protective PPEâs, BP threatened to fire
these workers who were only concerned with their own safety. Of course,
this only proves once again that BP is not concerned with safety of
workers that they exploit and would rather the workers suffer the many
effects of the toxic mixture of oil and Corexit 9500 and the oppressive
summer heat of the Gulf Coast just to save on expenses. We can see this
in BPâs track record of violation of safety standards and piss poor
managerial decisions of operating any oil rig whether it is offshore or
onshore. [29] Many workers have reported symptoms similar to workers on
the cleanup of Exxon/Valdez which is severe headaches, nausea and
breathing problems. BP informed cleanup workers that they would not be
âbotheredâ by the oil once encountered. This is just another example of
capitalist cutting costs and making profit by endangering workers who
are doing the cleanup for the pigs who cut corners to save money that
caused the explosion. [30]
The BP catastrophe must be analyzed closely. Indeed, it is one of the
worst ecological disasters in the United States but is much more. As
mentioned previously, the economy has been impacted leaving many workers
without work. To top it off, an unemployment extension billed was just
rejected in senate to extend unemployment benefits. Also, over time much
of the cultural traditions that come from the area will start to
disappear as native workers leave the area in search of employment in
other sectors if at all possible during the economic crisis that first
reared its head in 2007 and is now exacerbated by the BP disaster. Also,
from personal experience at meeting between Governor Crist of FL,
Senator Bob Graham, Commissioner Garcia and the Santa Rosa Island
Authority on 11 July 2010, one of the members of the round table
discussion mentioned that workers werenât doing their jobs and that the
contractors need to start doing better background checks on workers.
There are a lot of people of color on the cleanup crews. Class, culture
and race are on the intersecting margins of oppressions of capitalist
environmental destruction.
As anarchists, we must socially insert to the popular movements that are
mobilizing against BP and its destruction of the Gulf of Mexico.
Anarchists along the Gulf Coast are positioned along the coast to
significantly influence the movement surrounding the disaster. We must
argue for and build a movement independent of the familiar formula of
staff run, top-down movements catering to the states rule of passive and
peaceful engagement and compromise to the capitalist elite. This
movement must be militant, a movement with teeth and tearing apart
capitalist exploitation and state repression. A movement that will up
the ante or else we will see nothing change.
Even though workers self-management on the oil rigs would be the most
desirable since workers know best what methods to use and would regulate
appropriately concerning safety standards, self-management does not
guarantee that disasters of this nature will be avoided. There are no
ways to control accidents from happening, and these massive spills with
detrimental effects on the environment are proof that we must move
forward, explore and put to use alternative energy sources to satisfy
our energy consumption.
One source of energy has been used for centuries, and that is using wind
mills as a source of energy. In the United States, manufacturing of wind
turbines is slowly increasing showing an increase in production in 2009.
With just 10 gw online, that is enough energy for 2.4 million average
homes. So far, Texas has the largest amount in wind power capacity, and
Iowa produces the most energy through the use of wind turbines. [31]
Natural gas is the leading energy source in Europe, but wind power is
catching up quickly. Sooner rather than later, the use of wind turbines
will be the number one source of energy in Europe. The manufacturing of
new wind turbines and use of wind power exceeded the use of new natural
gas power in 2008 and 2009. Germany and Britain lead Europe in the use
of wind power with Germany having the largest increase with 1 gw of wind
power coming from offshore sources. Bulgaria and Romania are also
elevating the use of wind turbines. [32]
In Morocco, they have initiated a large wind farm project to be
completed in 2020. The 165 wind turbines are located in the town of
Melloussa outside of Tangiers. The plan in Morocco is the largest on the
African continent and will join another wind farm in Northern Morocco
which has a 54 megawatt capacity. The Melloussa wind farm is estimated
to supply 140 megawatts of energy through the use of wind turbines. It
will also provide 42% of the energy for Morocco. [33]
Other than wind power, there is solar energy. The Sahara Desert if
covered with solar panels could produce enough energy to power the
globe. In fact, the European Union plans to start exporting solar energy
within the next five years which will be 20% of renewable resources by
2020. With the use of photovoltaic systems and wind parks, the plan is
to 6,500 sq miles of the desert to import into Europe. If they were to
cover .3% of the desert, the entire continent of Europe would be fully
powered through the use of the solar panel technology. But, the use of
solar power is not without criticism. Of course, how can we use solar
power in the evening when the sun has already set? An approach that is
being explored is to melt salt by using thermal energy. This method
would retain the heat long enough to power a turbine through most of the
night. Solar maps are detailed layouts displaying historical information
will also help. These would show geographical regions showing solar
trends making it possible to locate general regions not just by solar
power but also by higher resolutions. [34][35]
Many of these alternatives for energy production will take decades to
benefit the world over. Until then, we must decrease the amount of oil
and gas we use. We must limit the amount we spend driving and opt for
dependable mass transit system such as rail systems and buses. For
overseas hauling, computerized wind sails can help navigate ships. If
the conditions are right, fuel costs can be reduced by 10â30% while
under the ideal wind condition, costs can be reduced by 50% for ships.
[36]
With ecological catastrophes such as the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion,
Exxon/Valdez, Ixtoc and Shell in Nigeria, these serve as examples that
our dependency on oil and gas as a means of energy must change
immediately. Of course, society will need to transition at a pace that
is appropriate to implement the necessary changes for energy
consumption. Wind power and solar power are alternatives that are viable
that could replace oil and gas.
The problem though is that the only way we can truly move towards an
ecological society that is sustainable is doing away with capitalist
profit motive. These sources of energies donât have the lobbying power
of capitalist governments. In other words, capitalism must finally be
put to rest as a great human failure that has destroyed millions upon
millions of working class peoplesâ lives, killed off our environment and
the animals and plants that inhabit the natural world, and put us one
step closer to the end of civilization. Not only has capitalism
contributed to that, the drive for profit through the use of fossil
fuels such as oil is what fuels the military-industrial complex. BP is
the largest supplier of oil and gas to the military-industrial complex
as well as BP being its number one contractor. There are many benefits
if we stop the use of oil altogether. It effectively hinders imperialism
and hegemony.
Over the course of a few months, BP and the federal government have
shown that their response to the disaster in the Gulf Coast has been
less than adequate. Although with the recent capping of the flow of oil
gushing millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, that
is only a temporary solution until two relief wells are drilled which
arenât even guaranteed to solve the problem. One thing is the effort BP
is making does not stop offshore drilling in the Gulf for operations
will continue. Drilling will continue at the expense of the environment,
the wildlife that lives within it and along the coastlines, and the many
workers relying on a living ecosystem in order for them to work and
sustain themselves. The Gulf of Mexico is an essential part of the
everyday lives of workers in the south, yet it is destined to be a dead
body of water with many species of wildlife soon to be extinct because
of capitalist greed and a sympathetic state protecting the interests of
corporations and their shareholders. We must look forward and build our
society using sustainable energy. One day soon will come ending offshore
drilling because we can no longer put our oceans at risk because of our
unhealthy consumption of petroleum. Workers have lost lives because of
profits made from petroleum. Species will die off if we do not
immediately put an end to big oil. Our air has been poisoned and water
rendered unusable because of toxins that are produced because of our
energy consumption. The destruction of our natural environment that
sustains our civilization will continue and completely devastate our
planet making it unsuitable for life until we bring capitalism to a
grinding halt.
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?...
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(July 2010)
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