Shell Oil may still have plans to drill in the arctic, but thanks to Greenpeace’s pressure on Lego with this amazing video, the iconic toy company ended its partnership with the big oil company. It’s a must-watch video. 

Shell Oil may still have plans to drill in the arctic, but thanks to Greenpeace’s p

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It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that air pollution is a threat to public health. So why are the leaders of 17 states trying to rollback the EPA’s new greenhouse gas regulations?

You’d think everyone would agree that clean air is essential for a healthy, prosperous nation, but recent action by industry and GOP leaders proves otherwise. Industry groups and over a dozen Republican-led states are asking the Supreme Court of the United States to block the EPA’s newest round of greenhouse gas regulations–claiming that they represent a “brazen power grab” by the Obama administration.

The new greenhouse gas regulations were adopted during the Congressional gridlock of 2011. The new rules require new power plants, factories and other such stationary facilities to limit carbon emissions. According to a 2007 SCOTUS ruling, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are air pollutants, making them subject to EPA regulation under the Clean Air Act. According to the LA Times, the fossil fuel industry claims that “the law covered only air pollutants that make it hard to breath, such as smog, not those that act to trap solar energy in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.” At the time, four Supreme Court justices agreed with this claim, which is why GOP leaders feel confident enough to resurrect the fight.

“Texas, Florida and 15 other Republican-led states joined with business and energy groups in accusing the president and his EPA of overstepping their authority. California, Illinois and 13 other Democratic-led states joined with environmentalists in supporting the EPA’s rules,” reports the LA Times.

The main complaint of these politicians and their industry supporters is that such regulations are bad for business. Namely, the coal-fired power plant business. Rather than protect the long-term health and welfare of the air we all breathe (yes, even Big Oil and Coal executives), these politicians would rather mortgage public health for a few more years of climate-changing energy extraction.

In the end, this issue comes down to two things: 1) the GOP and its friends in industry are upset that they EPA was able to circumvent the joke that is our Congress, and 2) they don’t want to change, especially if it means losing a single cent of their already massive profits.

That’s right, as always, it all comes down to money. As predicted, those in the fossil fuel industry are trying to frighten the public (and bully the EPA) by saying that compliance with the greenhouse gas regulations will cause energy prices to skyrocket. Environmentalists say this is a gross exaggeration.

“The Democratic-led states, in a brief filed with the court, pointed to the ‘recent practical experience’ in California and New York showing that switching to low carbon energy sources can produce ‘more efficient and less polluting industrial processes, delivered at a reasonable cost,'” reports the LA Times.

Ultimately, the decision will come down to a divided SCOTUS, with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy likely holding the deciding vote. He was the difference maker when the court faced this issue in 2007, but since then has voiced concern about over-regulation by the administration.

What do you think? Are the new greenhouse gas emissions necessary to protect public health or evidence of a power-hungry President? Share your thoughts in a comment.

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Urbanization and a change in attitude regarding fuel prices could help wean us off this unpredictable resource.

In the summer of 2008, gas prices in the United States hit a record high of $4.11 per gallon. Gas had never broken the $4 barrier before, and it seemed like they could just go right on climbing. In response, we grumbled. We moaned. We made bad jokes about paying with our limbs and our first-born children. Then, we started ditching gas-guzzling vehicles like Hummers and oversized SUVs. We carpooled, combined our errands and found other ways to drive less. A large number of Americans across the political spectrum began supporting renewable energy initiatives and new technologies that could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Then prices crept back down again, and we got complacent. While we’re still not driving quite as much as we used to – a factor that probably has more to do with the economy than learning any kind of lesson – most people aren’t exactly lining up to buy the Chevy Volt.

Now, as gas prices threaten to reach new heights, our response is not to push harder than ever for greener solutions. Aside from a drive to use rising fuel prices as political fodder to damage President Obama’s chances of re-election, the nation’s reaction has been a collective shrug of the shoulders. A recent study found that Americans are less reactive to gas prices today than we were four years ago, and that it may take breaking the psychological barrier of $5 per gallon to prompt us into any kind of action.

And once that happens, the rallying cries will probably be more along the lines of “Drill Here, Drill Now” rather than “Go Hybrid.” Because the fact of the matter is, the vast majority of us perceive cheap fuel as a basic right.

There’s a good reason for that. America is the land of personal automobiles. This sprawling nation, with its vast network of highways, is nearly impossible to navigate without a car unless you live in a big city with plentiful public transit options. Just try to get through daily life in a suburb, exurb or rural area without owning a vehicle. Some people manage, riding bicycles, catching rides with others and dealing with inefficient and unreliable bus services. But for most people, it’s just not a viable option. Therefore, we have a certain expectation: if we’re to be productive members of society, we have to be able to get around without taking out a second mortgage just for gas.

It’s easy to find ourselves glaring at the digits displayed on the gas pump. None of us enjoys feeling like we’re being gouged. We place the blame on oil speculators who artificially raise prices by as much as 75 cents per gallon, and angrily decry the record profits that oil companies have been enjoying thanks to their tax breaks and lobbyists. Justly so. But don’t we deserve the blame just as much as they do? In our defensiveness over the need to drive personal vehicles, we too often refuse to make concessions that can help us all move forward into an era of green transportation.

Fossil fuels are a finite resource, a major source of pollution and the cause of numerous international conflicts and wars. We can’t grow oil like we can grow algae or biofuel crops. At this point, we should be thinking of our fossil fuel consumption in terms of transitioning to more sustainable options.

But what is it that we can do, as individuals? Instead of just complaining, we can make even more drastic cuts to our driving than ever before. Those of us who are privileged to live in cities with public transit systems should make use of them as often as possible, and the rest of us should push for the same rights in our own communities. Learn the various ways to use less fuel. Take romantic train rides instead of driving cross-country. Ride your bicycle to the store for that carton of milk. Support political efforts to fund renewable energy innovation. Demand high-speed rail. Spread the word about clean energy, which creates three times more jobs than fossil fuels. Consider moving to the city.

The latter option may, in fact, be the single most effective thing we can do. Urbanization is by far the most efficient way to share resources, and with conscious oversight, cities can be green. Population density frees up rural land for food production, preserves wilderness and increases available green space. The 2010 census shows that many Americans are reversing the suburbanization trend, moving back into urban areas in droves. Although this raises valid concerns about potential suburban blight, and may strain city budgets in the short-term, it’s a crucial step toward a more sustainable future.

Thankfully, despite the prevailing attitudes about gas prices, there’s a dot of light at the end of the tunnel. Hybrid sales are increasing, and many people purchasing new vehicles are paying closer attention to fuel efficiency. General Motors, once again the world’s number one automobile manufacturer, reports that sales of vehicles that get at least 30 miles to the gallon make up 40 percent of its sales, versus 16 percent in 2009.

Like any addiction, cheap fossil fuels will be a hard habit to break. But when it comes down to it, do we really have a choice?

Photo: David Drexler

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I’ve been watching the growing condemnation of BP from all sides of the political spectrum and it’s making me mad as hell!

Now, don’t get me wrong – BP is no friend of mine. Some days I can’t bear to read the news coming out of the Gulf of Mexico, let alone look at the heart-wrenching images of oil-coated wildlife. It’s about to get worse with Tropical Storm Bonnie likely to spread the oil and migratory birds starting to fly south for winter, many of them via the Gulf.

There is no doubt that BP’s behavior has been appalling. It was evidently lax in its safety standards, it repeatedly attempted to play down the amount of oil gushing from the well, some of the comments by senior executives have been downright thoughtless, and its eagerness to find new places to drill before it’s fixed this problem is nothing short of obscene.

But here’s the truth: BP is no better or worse in its environmental or ethical practices than any other big oil company. Right now, BP is being made a scape-goat and that suits all the other oil companies just fine.

Right-wing darling Sarah Palin of “drill baby, drill” fame has bashed BP as a “foreign company”. Meanwhile President Obama and other government officials insist on calling it British Petroleum, when the company’s official name is BP and has been for more than a decade. Last I checked Britain and the United States were allies and being based in Britain wasn’t a corporate crime. Anyway, BP is a multinational and 39 percent of it is owned by Americans, with six Americans on the board of directors. It’s a slick trick.

Then there’s the whole brouhaha over BP’s latest deal in Libya and whether BP is responsible for the release of the Lockerbie bomber. It’s a fact that the U.S. and Europe don’t see eye to eye over Libya – I’m not about to defend the regime, but public perception of Libya is a whole lot worse in the US than it is across the pond. I don’t think BP has a particularly moral stance vis-à-vis Libya, but then oil companies are not usually known for their moral stances, are they? The Libya affair pales into insignificance next to Shell’s crimes in the Niger Delta. Or should we call it Royal Dutch Shell? Nor is it as dangerous for the world as U.S.-based Exxon Mobil pumping millions of dollars into spurious climate denial research.

Now I don’t really care if people want to say bad things about BP. The public anger is more than justified. What I do care about is that demonizing BP makes it easier for the other oil giants to get away with their evil-doing. They don’t even need to throw their hands up and say “don’t blame us, it’s all BP’s fault,” because we’re doing it for them.

Already, the Obama Administration has been unable to impose a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf, after an appeals court judge branded the decision “arbitrary.” Arbitrary? Really? Does the judge truly think the decision was random or capricious? I would call it “sensible” myself. But then Obama did rather back himself into a corner by announcing an expansion to offshore oil drilling right before the BP disaster struck.

As difficult as it may be, we need to remember that Big Oil is the true enemy, not just BP. It’s the oil industry at large that is responsible for the mess in the Niger Delta, the oil pipeline explosion in China earlier last week, and the leaky oil tanker that ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in April.

Off-shore drilling is inherently risky. It’s a miracle of modern engineering and human ingenuity that we’re able to do it at all. And when things go wrong, we’re at the mercy of natural forces and there’s not a whole lot we can do. It’s lunacy to even consider doing it somewhere remote, cold and pristine like the Alaskan wilderness, even if the waters are shallower. I don’t care if it’s not BP at the rig – I don’t trust Shell any more.

Public support for offshore drilling has eroded since the BP oil disaster. No wonder, after seeing shocking evidence of just how badly things can go wrong. What’s astonishing is that it’s still supported by the majority of those polled. And there’s a good chance that allowing BP to take all the blame while other oil companies go scot-free, could mean this trend is reversed and public support for offshore drilling once again continues to rise.

We need to end off-shore drilling for all oil companies, not just point fingers at BP. And if we don’t want to be dependent on foreign oil, well then that seems a good reason to wean ourselves off it altogether. How about we build windmills, invest in electric cars, move to sustainable farming methods and ditch the plastic addiction? Can we do it? Yes, we can!

Image: Fibonacci Blue

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