It does not immediately appear as if this explosion is as serious as the one that rocked the Deepwater Horizon rig, owned by BP, earlier this year. That event (pictured at left) not only killed eleven people; it has also turned into the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. During the three months it took to cap that well, millions of gallons of oil gushed into Gulf waters, killing thousands of birds, polluting some of America’s most valuable wetlands, and shutting down a fishery worth billions of dollars to the local economy.

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the Obama administration has been trying to impose a 6-month moratorium on new rig construction to force drillers to ramp up safety and environmental protection measures. Thus far, the Administration has been outmaneuvered by the oil industry, which has successfully challenged the moratorium in court.

For the most part, it seems that people living in the Gulf support continued drilling, despite the toll taken on human life and the fisheries that support their local way of life. But the Gulf of Mexico – those waters, all the fish and shellfish that live there, the birds that breed in the bordering wetlands – none of that belongs to the Gulf residents. They don’t really belong to the rest of us Americans, either. They belong to the world.

Maybe it’s time for citizens of the world to make their voices heard – and to clamor for the oil industry not just along the Louisiana shoreline but around the planet – to shut down once and for all.

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The post New Oil Disaster in Gulf Makes Strong Argument for Moratorium. appeared first on Big Green Purse.

It will do absolutely no good to boycott BP if you keep buying oil and gas from someone else. BP’s oil, along with everyone else’s, is sold on the world market, not just to BP stations. Local gas stations are usually owned by entrepreneurs in your community, not by BP. They sell gas that comes from a variety of sources, not just their namesake. So as a consumer, even if you boycott a BP station, you’re not necessarily boycotting gas produced by BP. Likewise, if you buy gas from a different station, you could be buying BP gas.

Plus: is there any “good” gas?  Are there any “good” oil companies? Is Exxon, responsible for what was previously the largest oil spill in U.S. history, better than BP? What about Shell, a company known for its horrid human rights violations? Or Chevron, which has been sued for polluting pristine rainforest in Ecuador?

Take a look at the photo (above, left) from AP photographer Charlie Riedel. It’s a bird, but that’s about all we can tell, it’s been so mired in oil.

Sadly, it’s a perfect metaphor for our economy.

Want to change it?

Drive less, for starters. Here’s how.

The post Mad at BP? Skip the Boycott. Stop Driving. appeared first on Big Green Purse.