If ever there was an argument against reliance on petroleum as the fuel for our century, it is raging in the Gulf of Mexico. The huge oil spill that has followed an explosion of a drilling rig not only threatens the wild life of the Louisiana coast, it may well have great effects on the health of the ocean waters themselves.
Phytoplankton--tiny organisms that live everywhere in ocean waters--are responsible for creation and maintenance of half of the world's oxygen supply. The other half comes from plants on dry land, which, as we all know, have been taking a big hit.
A big oil slick is not only bad for the general health of ocean creatures, it will cut down the light reaching the organisms that photosynthesis oxygen. Result: who knows?
The message is clear: petroleum is dangerous in many ways, and we've got to figure out how to use considerably less of it.
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