Another Day, Another 5,000 Barrels

That's one barrel every 17.28 seconds- I did the math- and the experts still aren't sure when it's going to stop. The sheer magnitude of the spill is almost incomprehensible, and the fact that 22 days later the leak is still not fixed is astounding. How much more evidence do we need that our way of life, including (but not limited to) our dependence on fossil fuels, is not sustainable? The true cost of our dependence on oil is not what you see at the pump; it is in the human lives and the environmental impact; it is in the wars both civil and international; it is in the pollution of human and wildlife habitats. This disaster alone killed 11 workers and untold numbers of marine and avian life and threatens the already fragile Louisiana wetlands.

With the human population growing at an exponential rate, and with no signs of faltering, the question of the sustainability of the human race becomes more and more troubling. Once the spill is cleaned up and collective memory fades and perhaps new safety measures are put into place to prevent a similar disaster from occurring, the fact remains that some day in the not so distant future, the oil is going to run out. So we're killing and plundering and wreaking environmental havoc for a resource that won't be around much longer. Where's the logic?

FYI: If you're interested, there's a video on YouTube of the underwater pipeline spewing oil into the Gulf. There's no sound and you should start the video at about the two minute mark, but it's worth a look.