Their Environmental Impact on Our Oceans
How do we prevent oil spills? (The last part)
Oil spills are the most devastating environmental disasters. On the surface, oil spills directly pollute oceans, kill sea life, and damage the environment we live in. Furthermore, oil spills hurt the nation’s health, environment, tourist and the fishing business. Therefore, oil spills impact the entire economy and our standard of living. How do we prevent future oil spills and protect our oceans?
I. We need to develop new alternative energy technology and limit drilling offshore. (Picture) A. The theory of Peak Oil 1. Peak Oil: “Hubbert’s Peak” (clip) 2. Inventor: the Shell geologist, Dr. Marion King Hubbert in 1956 3. Concept: limited resources, more demand / extraction, hard to get to, and higher cost (Microeconomics) B. Natural resources are limited and nonrenewable,
1. We need to invest in and develop new energy technology for alternative fuels, and we will be less dependent on oil.
a. Electric powered cars, solar power, hydro power and wind power
b. Use ethanol instead of gasoline for an alternative fuel c. Cars of Tomorrow With Energy-Saving Technology (link) C. Substituting renewable resources for nonrenewable resources lessen the burden of the energy crisis, decrease conflict between rising demand and falling supply, and built a better energy future.
II. Government’s regulations and legislations are necessary for preventing oil spills.
A. After gulf oil spills, “Obama administration announced it will not allow offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico or off the Atlantic coast for at least seven years (USATODAY.com).” 1. Considering risk of offshore oil drilling, government formed industry-led safety institute 2. “The Oil Pollution Act” took place for oil industry 3. Environmental preservation:
Government program and fund investing in companies engaged in