Oily Death for Birds, Hearts and Other Living Things

Mother Davis breathes through a wet cloth as she writes,

This week, the deadly effects of a petroleum-based economy are highlighted by two separate pieces of news.

First, we learn from the International Fund for Animal Welfare that there are hundreds of sea birds fouled with oil washing up on the shores of Newfoundland. One might assume that the oil coating these birds’ feathers and leaving them vulnerable to the harsh weather of these near-arctic seas came from the Terra Nova oil spill, in which one thousand barrels of oil was dumped into the Atlantic Ocean from an offshore oil production vessel owned by Petro-Canada.

However, it now appears that the oil that is threatening the lives of Newfoundland’s sea birds is in fact coming from another source in addition to the Terra Nova spill. It seems that some ocean vessel other than the Terra Nova intentionally dumped its bilge oil near the Terra Nova spill in the hopes that the dumping would not be detected.

Just a few ounces of oil floating on the ocean’s surface can be enough to kill a seabird. Between 200,000 and 300,000 seabirds are killed by exposure to oil slicks off the coast of Newfoundland every year. The ships responsible for the spills are rarely caught.

However, you don’t have to be a wild bird at sea to be threatened by the toxic effects of petroleum. Research sponsored by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis reveals that the burning of fossil fuels by industry, in power plants, and by cars on our highways is a significant factor in the development of heart disease.

You can stop eating bacon cheeseburgers, but you can’t stop breathing the air, and it turns out that the air all around us contains small particles produced by the use of fossil fuels. These tiny particles turn deadly when they enter the human body and cause inflammation of membranes around the heart. The particles are so small that they are easily able to travel between one and two thousand miles, so that even rural locations in non-industrial areas are put at risk.

From San Diego to St. Johns, America is being soaked by the dangers of crude oil. There are benefits, to be sure, to a petroleum economy. Burning fossil fuels is extremely convenient, to be sure. It’s a profitable business as well. However, for the sake of a little convenience and the profits of large energy corporations, humans and animals alike are paying a terrible price.

Alternatives to fossil fuels exist, and more can be created. The initial costs of change are higher than the expense of the status quo, but I think that it’s worth a little expense to have a more stable energy supply, air that is safe to breathe, and an ocean that is not fouled with the greasy residue of our laziness?

Turning down the heat,
Mother Davis