A Sad Day

Today I am disappointed and deeply sad. It's been 32 days and the explosion that caused the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is still wildly out of control. At least 6 million gallons of oil have been released into the gulf, and reports say that attempts to plug the gushing leak with mud wont be made until Tuesday.

For better or for worse, after the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, laws were passed to hold oil companies completely accountable for cleanup (including all expenses) in case of similar disasters. Call me paranoid, but I have to ask how much of these expenses include BP's efforts to downplay the dangerous facts to the public. Unlike the 1989 spill, the BP oil rig that is leaking today does not contain a finite oil supply, and will keep pouring oil into the ocean until it is plugged. I only fear that the severity of this disaster is much greater than we are necessarily being told, and that in addition to an oceanic cleanup, there is imminent threat of groundwater contamination (already marshes have been contaminated in Louisiana) and permanent damage to the region's eco-system.

These eerily beautiful images have made a deep impression on me, and today my only hope is that from this tragedy, our government and big businesses will understand the urgency of making changes to prevent the outright destruction of the environment.

All images from Huffington Post.