Save, Baby, Save - A barrel saved is a barrel not needed — ever! by George Lakoff

[kpete]

Published on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
Save, Baby, Save
A barrel saved is a barrel not needed — ever!

by George Lakoff
The Death Gusher in the Gulf should tell us to end offshore drilling forever.

The reason is simple: Systemic risk!

Better regulations won’t end what went wrong: Corporate greed, cutting corners to save money, lack of coordination among subcontractors, unforeseen factors, and just plain incompetence in private industry. Add that to isolated deep drilling sites in deep ocean where no human being can go, bad weather, and oil exploding out at 10,000 pounds per square inch, and you will virtually guarantee more Death Gushers.

Do we really need that oil? Could we make do with none of it?

With money, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” as Ben Franklin noted. But saving oil — not needing or using it — is a much better deal: it is cumulative.

more:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/07/14-5