Very bad looking steady black flow from the Louisiana oil spill spot

Just posted at Florida Oil Spill Law with time stamp of 3:00 am today (local time, I presume):



I am more and more concerned. Well, more like beginning to panic, admittedly. They have no damn idea of what kind of forces they are dealing with and the only thing it seems to matter is profit and/or cutting losses.

Even if the doomsday scenario hypothesis does not become true (and I do not know what to think really), such an uncontrolled flow of oil and methane is a true disaster. It was already the worst oil-related disaster ever but it will be even worse, as it seems it is going to run uncontrolled for months or who knows for how long.

I am in Europe, many many kilometers away... but if you follow NOAA predictions (which only reach to mid-July) the oil has already reached the Atlantic Ocean and will keep flushing in that direction (all that is not skimmed or end ups into beaches and such). Eventually it will reach here too, as the Gulf Stream ends in the Atlantic coasts of Europe. Typically that is a blessing, allowing for several degrees of temperature above what is usual for these northernly latitudes, but now it seems it may become a curse.

Gulf oil disaster will reach the Atlantic

This is the estimate for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in less than a year, according to simulations by US scientists:

The simulation is based on 5 typical years' climate and does not include any estimate of biological degradation or other accumulation processes such as the formation of tar balls. Whatever the case it is a most worrisome forecast for SE USA, parts of Mexico and even possibly Europe, where the Gulf Stream eventually ends.

The catastrophe, still mostly uncontrolled, has began to be dubbed "the American Chernobyl".

Source: Science Daily.

EU bribes poor nations to perpetuate tuna massacre

The International Comission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas decided not to take any meaningful action to preserve bluefinn tuna stocks in the Mediterranean Sea. This against the scientific advice, that called for a quota reduction and, very specially, for a catch bane in the Spring spwaning season. The approved quotas (never actually respected) are 50% above what sicentists advise and the spawning season will remain pen for tuna fishing.

Apparently EU comissioners blackmailed and bribed less well off nations using trade deals so there was no effective action and the tuna catching fleet could persist with its criminal activities impunely. Ironically, Japan (main market) and Spain (a major catcher) had called for a total closure of the fishery but it seems other countries (I don't know but I can imagine the dark hand of France, always in favor of extremely industrialized and unsustainable fishing methods, in all this mess) have more of a say in what EU does and gets other to vote for.

Greenpeace and other enviromental groups criticised the decision as "mockery of science". The East Atlantic bluefinn tuna (known as "red tuna" in Spanish for the color of its flesh, very demanded in Japan specially) is severely threatened by overfishing, specially of immature animals that are then fattened in ad-hoc fisheries and could well enter soon the list of critically endangered species if this massacre is not stopped.

As European citizen, you can imagine that I am terribly ashamed and angry about such decissions. The fishing policy of EU is nothing but a criminal act of biocide, allowing bottom-trawling and all other those hyper-industrialized practices that drive our oceanic species to extinction, not just in European waters but also around the world. I wonder if democratic controls in the EU form of government (that so far are merely testimonial) could change things because at the moment the most powerful states (France specially) have too much influence in such self-destructive policies.

Source: BBC news: EU condemned on 'tuna mockery'.

No to bottom-trawling!

Only 4% of the Ocean remains untouched. The situation is catastrophical in Europe and Japan specially.




Effects of bottom trawling.

I just can't believe that EU authorities, from Parliament to Comission passing by the council of Ministers are not able to just forbid bottom trawling in European waters. The situation is getting worse every year and fishing industries are suffering it already but nobody seems to care. There's an attitude of eyes that don't see, heart that doesn't feel. They are perfectly able to make such stupid agreements as banning patio heaters or whatever other idiocy but they are not able tackle any real problems, much less if they have to face the industry.

It's so outrageous that I feel shame of being European sometimes.