Pollution in the Amazon

The Amazon is an area of South America best known for its diverse rainforest, lush jungles and one of the largest rivers in the world.  (See picture above.)

Chevron is one of the world's six "supermajor" oil companies and it operates in more than 180 countries.

For the last 17 years, the South American country of Ecuador has been trying to get Chevron to clean up environmental damage in the Amazon caused by .  This damage is said to be the world's second largest environmental disaster other than the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

What kind of damage?

* Pollution to large areas of the Ecuadoran jungle
* Up to 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater dumped into waterways
* Up to 17 million gallons of crude oil contained in unlined pits

What were the results of this damage?

* Death of food crops and livestock (farm animals)
* Increased health problems like skin disease and cancer
* An estimated $27 billion in damages

A legal battle as been going on for almost two decades and recently a judge ordered the company to pay at least $8.6 billion in damages.

Chevron has stated that it has no plans to provide any money at all for cleanup.  Ecuador does not have the same laws as the United States about protecting the environment and so it will be very difficult to force Chevron to pay any money at all!

If you or I made a big mess, we'd have to clean it up!  Why does a giant oil company get away with it?

OIL SPILL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

On April 20, an oil-drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico called Deepwater Horizon, exploded in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana.  The rig sank and 11 people were killed in the explosion.  The accident is said to be the largest oil spill disaster in the history of the United States.

Like many Americans, I am very sad about this disaster and extremely worried about the damage it will cause.  Normally, I like to post helpful hints about how we can all go green, but sadly, I this is not one of those entries.  But it's still important to be informed.  Some of you may be wondering what are some of the possible results of this oil spill?  Here are some ways an oil spill can affect wildlife:

* Oil coats the bodies of animals with a thick layer.
* Fur or feathers covered in oil become sticky which can lead to hypothermia.
* Birds can drown when covered in oil because they're bodies become too heavy.
* Animals may become easy prey because they are easier to catch.
* Birds and marine mammals will not necessarily avoid an oil spill.
* Some fish are actually attracted to the oil because it looks like floating food.
* More than 400 species of animals are at risk because of this event.
* Stomach ulcers and bleeding can occur in animals that swallow the oil.
* Damage to airways and lungs of animals that breath droplets of oil or gas.
* Since April 30, 19 dead dolphins have been found in the spill area.
* Oil disguises the scent that seal pups and mothers use to recognize each other.
* Beaches affected by an oil spill can disturb turtle breeding areas or contaminate eggs.
* On May 24, a fisheries disaster was declared in 3 states.
* Fisherman have been taken to hospitals because of "nausea, dizziness and chest pains."
* Oil in the water decreases oxygen supply to small fish, which can affect the entire food chain.

This is NOT what our oceans should look like!

WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING?

"Global climate change" or "global warming" began with the Industrial Revolution.  Scientists say that global warming is primarily caused by the "greenhouse gas effect."  Greenhouse gases are the toxins (mostly CO2) released into the air when we burn fossil fuels--oil, coal and natural gas.  Another contributor to global climate change is deforestation (the destruction of trees), illustrated in the photograph below.

During the Industrial Revolution, lots of amazing new technology came along and we've been inventing cool things ever since!  But all this new technology--things like trains, cars, lightbulbs, computers, airplanes and electric toothbrushes--need energy to make them go!  The energy we use to power our cars and our homes comes mostly from burning fossil fuels.  It took millions of years for fossil fuels to be created, but humans have burned much of them up in just a few hundred years and the Earth can't handle it!

The more CO2 we have in the air, the more oceans try to suck it up to balance it out.  The more CO2 the oceans suck up, the warmer they become.  The warmer the oceans become, the more strange weather and wacky temperatures we get!  Strange weather leads to dangerous situations for humans.  Wacky temperature changes leads to the inability of many species of plants and animals to adapt quickly enough, which can lead to extinction.

On land, trees are an amazing natural way to get rid of CO2.  Plants soak up CO2 and store it for energy.  The combination of the greenhouse effect and deforestation has created a problem twice the size!

Obvious solutions:  1) PLANT TREES!  2) STOP BURNING FOSSIL FUELS!

More on global climate change to come!

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BIOFUELS?

A “biofuel” is any fuel created from plant or animal materials.  For example, wood is one of the simplest biofuels.  Modern biofuels include bioethanol, made from sugar or starch crops.  Biodiesel on the other hand is made from vegetable oils or animal fats.

ADVANTAGES

·      Reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

·      More environmentally friendly.

·      Varied source material (can be made from a wide range of materials).

·      Cheaper.

·      May help to tackle poverty (poor countries without oil reserves may have land available for biofuel farming).

·      Biodegradability (spills are easier to clean up and MUCH less hazardous).

DISADVANTAGES

·      Lower Energy Output (great quantities consumed to get the same energy).

·      Adapting more land to produce crops for biofuels means more loss of habitats and decreased biodiversity.

·      Food vs. Fuel Debate (farmers make more money selling crops for fuel, which may cause higher food prices).

·      Not Carbon Neutral (it still takes energy to grow crops and then convert them into fuel).

·      Water Use (massive amounts of water are needed to grow crops and manufacture the fuel).

Here we go again!  Another energy source that has just as many bad sides as good sides.  But there may be hope in the future with 2^nd and 3^rd generation biofuels.  What do you know about these?  How are they different from 1^st generation biofuels?

NUCLEAR POWER - PROS AND CONS

Scientists have attributed global warming to the burning of fossil fuels.  One energy technology that does NOT emit greenhouse gases is nuclear power.

Last week, I went on a tour of the Science and Nature Center at a Nuclear Power Plant with my dad.  Here is some information about the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power!

ABOVE:  A TYPICAL NUCLEAR REACTOR COOLING TOWER

ADVANTAGES:

·      Does not add to the greenhouse effect (no smoke or carbon dioxide!)

·      Just a small amount of fuel can produce a very large amount of energy.  (One ton of Uranium produces more energy than is produced by several MILLION tons of coal or barrels of oil!)

·      Produces small amounts of waste.

·      Nuclear power plants don’t require as much space as other types of facilities.

DISADVANTAGES:

·      The small amount of waste that is produced is VERY, VERY dangerous.

·      Nuclear waste must be hidden away for many thousands of years so that the radioactivity can die away.

·      Nuclear waste that is buried may be affected or released by floods, earthquakes or deliberate attacks.

·      An accident at a nuclear power plant can be a MAJOR disaster!  Radioactivity can kill people and animals or cause cancer.

·      Nuclear energy comes from Uranium and Uranium is NOT renewable.  Just like coal and oil, we will run out of it someday!

Although nuclear energy is delicate and has caused problems in the past, a modern nuclear power plant can produce power without releasing toxins into the environment (if everything goes right.)  Energy produced by coal and oil cannot do the same.

Is nuclear energy the next step away from dirty energy sources before we can harness the power of sun, wind and water more efficiently?  What do you think?  Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?  What else do you know about nuclear power?

ABOVE:  THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT I VISITED AT SEABROOK STATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Two days ago, President Barack Obama made his first state of the union address.  Of course, I was excited to hear him talk about his plans for helping our country “go green!”

The President talked about creating “clean energy jobs” (cool!) and passing a “comprehensive energy and climate bill” (very cool!)  He then talked about the importance of “clean nuclear power plants,” “oil and gas development,” “advanced biofuels” and “clean coal technologies.”

What is all that stuff?  None of it sounds very green to me!  Mr. Obama didn’t talk about solar, wind or geothermal power—the cleanest known energy technologies of today!

For the next few days, I will try to research the energy sources he did mention and provide information about each of them!  First up—nuclear energy!