Not a lot of people talk about "beauty" and "the Gulf" in the same breath these days.
Five years ago, New Orleans was under 15 feet of water, debris, toxic waste and dead bodies. The disaster killed 1,800 people and caused $75 billion in damage.
Today, the Gulf region finds itself awash in 4.9 million barrels of oil and thousands of gallons of toxic chemical dispersant. Eleven men lost their lives, tens of thousands in the fish and shrimp industry immediately lost their livelihood, and hundreds of thousands more could lose their jobs, homes, boats and businesses. Meanwhile, their children's health will continually be at risk from toxic air and water.
These twin tragedies represent a double blow to the region's confidence and the nation's conscience. Sometimes it is hard to imagine that the cycle of destruction and suffering will ever end.
But the Gulf will be beautiful again. We can restore the land and help the people heal.
Viable solutions exist. First, we need to stop adding damage to damage. Rather than trying to address a toxic spill with toxic "dispersant" chemicals, we should rely on greener solutions. The emerging field of biomimicry imitates nature's designs and processes to solve tough problems: "Innovation inspired by nature." Biomimicry expert Paul Stamets has already discovered a method of growing fungi to absorb oil and chemicals.
Second, we need to get serious about finding climate-friendly, job-generating alternatives to the region's oil drenched status quo. The energy future of the Gulf is not down the holes that BP is drilling. If we want to see the future, we need to look up at the sun and the sky, finding ways to use solar and wind power to meet more of our energy needs.
A strong commitment to renewable energy can create 8,500 well-paying manufacturing jobs in Louisiana, and about 77,000 jobs in the entire Gulf region, according to a study by the Renewable Energy Policy Project. Already there are nearly 500 manufacturing firms in Louisiana that could supply the parts needed to deliver a 15% reduction in the region's carbon emissions.
The people of the Gulf need jobs that are not bound to a dirty, dangerous and uncertain fossil-fuel economy. The shrimpers and fishermen must return to clean oceans; business owners, restaurateurs and hotel workers must return to work on clean coasts. Oil rig workers and machinists should begin building and installing the solar panels and wind turbines using the skills they already possess. An entire new generation of scientists and engineers can rise to help restore the wetlands, purify the oceans, and innovate the clean technology that will save us all.
Third, America's public and private sector needs to invest in infrastructure that keeps us safe. Tragically, the Gulf disasters were caused by a broken levee in New Orleans that George Bush refused to fix and a $500,000 safety valve on the Deepwater Horizon that BP failed to install.
We can boost the ecology and the economy simultaneously. Coastal wetlands serve as a natural buffer zone and protect the Gulf from inland storm damage -- and thus far we have destroyed nearly 80 of the region's wetlands. Restoring the Gulf Coast can create 16,000 direct jobs in the region and 41,000 more in related industries. The richness and diversity of Gulf culture -- the music, foods, faiths and lifestyles -- are all ready to reemerge stronger and more vibrant than ever.
Fourth, we also need to tend to the needs of the people. We need to make sure the people have homes and communities to go back to. These homes should be efficient, elegant and affordable. The rebuilding should be done by, and under the guidance of, the people who live there. And while we are at it, let's make these communities green and gorgeous. Global Green is already building 10,000 green homes in the region -- continuing to rebuild green can net many more construction jobs for the region.
Finally, we need to ensure that the people are healthy. Emergency department visits increased 100 percent in the month following Katrina and hospitalization rates increased 66 percent in the first month and 23 percent over the ensuing year. 50 percent of residents showed a need for mental health counseling post-Katrina.
The numbers are equally striking for the Gulf spill: 30 percent are suffering mild to serious psychological distress, and one third of children along the most impacted areas are experiencing physical or mental problems. The people need more than a few clinics and claims adjusters to address the gamut of health issues in the Gulf.
If we do these things, the beauty will return -- stronger than ever.
Follow Van Jones on Twitter: www.twitter.com/VanJones68
Rocky Kistner: In the Bayou, a Fisherman Seeks His Own Solution to the Oily Marsh
I agree that a new field of manufacturing and production could start immediately on the Gulf. But not to build wind and solar panels, but rather. the new oil rig oil spill containment equipment that some Gulf coast companies already can produce. There were plenty of workable concepts and products that were ready to go to work on the spill, but were denied access by BP and the government. This is one of the greatest failings of the response to this Grand Canyon of US ecological catastrophes. The first order of buisness should be to prevent oil from being uncontained in the oceans again. It is so uncool and unnecessary. Only when we have secured techniques for the overall safety of the offshore oil wells should be begin with alternative energy. And that should not be wind, solar or nuclear (on the Gulf) but rather geothermal. If we can drill 35,000 feet under the seabed for oil, we can drill for heat. We don't need the oil for our energy.
Why will just the children''s health be impacted? This makes no sense. Thousands of people along the Gulf have been affected by contaminated air and water, hence, everyone's health is at risk.
'But the Gulf will be beautiful again. We can restore the land and help the people heal.'
I take this to mean the land can be restored (how?), but not the water. I agree with this unstated thought.
'First, we need to stop adding damage to damage. Rather than trying to address a toxic spill with toxic "dispersant" chemicals, we should rely on greener solutions. The emerging field of biomimicry imitates nature's designs and processes to solve tough problems: "Innovation inspired by nature."
- I agree with most of this statement. biomimicry is nothing new, however. We have had design with nature for thousands of years; we just don't recognize it. OTOH, what is the difference between biomimicry and bioengineering if we alter nature to our desires? A much better solution for oil spills is realistic containment apparatuses and protecting nature from the oil altogether. Trying to put the damage back is impossible - especially when you don't know what the dynamics of the micro and macro biota may be. First, do no harm should be the guide to any catastrophe. Too bad that wasn't the case in this storm. The use of dispersants added unknown harm..
-Fyodor Dostoevsky
It's a great time of year to visit the beaches, and they are clean. So are the waters, no unusual amount of chemicals found anywhere. If you're worried about jobs in the tourist industry, maybe you should be pointing out these facts rather than intimating that the Gulf is somehow ruined for some indeterminate time.
Shrimp season is open and the boats are going out. The shrimp are safe and, I can tell you, tasty. Most fishing grounds that were closed are open again, and of course the vast majority of the Gulf fishing grounds were never closed in the first place. If you're concerned about the livelihoods of Gulf fishers, it might help if you mentioned these facts rather than scaremongering about "toxic" this or that.
Undoubtedly these points will be unpopular with the Gulf doomsday crowd on this site, who seem even at this late date to be hoping that somehow it will all turn out differently and the Gulf will have been destroyed completely, as they were predicting with almost sensual pleasure from the day the Deepwater Horizon blew. But facts are facts, and if you really do care about the Gulf and its people, it might be better to report on the actual situation there.
Before someone starts yelling "shill" or whatever, no, I have absolutely no financial or other connection to anything or anyone involved in any way with tourism, fishing, or energy industries.
http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/reefs-with-asphalt-like-material-tar-that-still-smells-like-petroleum-30-years-after-ixtoc-oil-disaster-in-gulf
More future shock:
http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/wavcis-founder-indicates-oil-will-rise-higher-into-the-water-column-and-be-washed-onto-land-a-long-term-problem-its-not-simply-going-to-go-away
And Dr. Joye's latest finds: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129782098&f=1001&sc=tw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Ok, you're not a shill as you don't get paid, may we just call you an apologist for the greatest environmental catastrophe in US history to date?
Please don't bother with links from the "florida oil spill law" site. It is the work of one person who has no expertise on the subject and who appears to be a conspiracy crank. Perhaps that's why it rings your chimes.
I tested a whole bunch of white shrimp from the Louisiana Gulf waters a few days ago in Baton Rouge on a quick visit. So did several other people with me. We agreed we'd never had better. And amazingly, we all lived to tell the tale.
Maybe there's still a bunch of oil somewhere in the Gulf. But it's not on the shores or in the water anywhere near the shores or in the fishing grounds. It's certainly not in the Gulf Stream or in the Atlantic, as people like you have been predicting for months. Why don't you show it to us, tell us exactly what the concentrations are, and explain why we should be oh-so-fearful of it, especially given the fact that there has been a certain amount of oil in the Gulf time out of mind?
In short, you're welcome to your doomsday fantasies. Just don't try to feed them to people who know better.
Well then find us an alternative that is low cost and reliable . . .
People aren't hooked on fossil fuels, but they are hooked on low cost energy.
Also see:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erich-pica/another-fossil-fuel-trage_b_712561.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-gartner/evs-need-maximum-exposure_b_709181.html
What I have yet to see is anyone, blogger, industry expert, or government official putting the puzzle together; i.e., connecting the dots. Putting a Manhattan Project into motion to kill fossil fuels and nuke material in 10 years. We can do it.
the voice of the angry gulf.
They all must go! BP, Jindal, Obama, all politicians and corporate plunderers.
they all must go!
BTW, when somebody starts quoting something called "raging pelican" and talking about the "angry gulf," I kind of stop eye contact and move quietly toward the exit, know what I mean?
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=11941812&id=472301290506&ref=fbx_album
Comforting words Mr. Van-jones. If only they were not needed. No words can alleviate the damage the Gulf is suffering nor end it soon enough. I hate being cynical, but I have to at least take the role of the devil's advocate. I think the administration is trying to soothe the worries of environmentally sensitive voters into believing the damage is not so final that it cannot be fixed. That is far from the case and I urge everyone to realize that everyone from BP to the government to the MSM stand to benefit from this story having a fairy tailed ending. It won't and I urge you to follow these links often:
http://www.gulfspillclips.com/
http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/
http://www.projectgulfimpact.org/
http://kinshipcircle.org/gulf_spill/
I'm sure there are others. Please post them here when you find them.
Thanks again - definitely following you now. :)
http://bit.ly/greennewdealcoalition