Marine Littering!

[Papa Bear]

Couldn't agree less! It is all political! We have 400 years of oil! Solar panels take too much energy to produce and it takes over a hundred years to recapture its production energy! (They last 30) Nuclear energy is the answer, but you have to be Iranian before you have a "Right" to it! Fuel is artificially do to lack of drilling and no new refineries being built! We have only been using oil for a 125 years and we have what we have because of it, but if you would have lived 200 years ago you wouldn't have imagined our world or the use of oil! We just stopped Hydrogen fuel at GM! For Political reasons! We can't see the next breakthrough anymore than the people living in the 1700's! We need to trust ingenuity and capitalism and not the nut jobs running the current dog and pony show for the express reason to steal your money and freedoms! I am afraid Common Sense is DEAD!

[shinek]

No free lunches, agreed, every decision made has a consequence which eventually comes down to a cost. We just have to balance the costs and benefits and make the best decision we can. Improving efficiency is obviously a positive move. Ultimately using wind, wave and solar power will be the way, though the current costs don't make the argument compelling. Nuclear power is a valid power source for electricity for the medium term, but the lack of investment in that industry for the last 30 or 40 years has put its development way behind. There isn't one answer, it isn't just nuclear, solar, wind or water, but a broad spectrum of options which will all contribute in different areas and over dfferent time frames. By the way, fossil fuel is still a valid part of that equation and will be until we can fly planes using solar power.

We have 400 years of oil! :

I believe I have put this elsewhere when a similar thread was developing. While I don't know how much oil there is left in the ground, take a look at Professor Al Bartlett's lecture on Exponential Growth and then see if you still think we have 400 years of oil left. While just about every argument comes from the viewpoint of the person making it, this does seem to make logical sense. Take a look, I'd be interested in your views.

Here's the home page of the Professor.
http://www.albartlett.org/index.html
And here is the front page of his lecture which is split into 8 x 10 minute segments for easy viewing.
http://www.albartlett.org/presentati...gy_video1.html

[The Publisher]

While I am sure we have plenty of oil left for our lifetimes, the concept of being dependent on foreign governments for oil is a real bad idea strategically.

[shinek]

Following up on the original posting here, I just saw this report on Yahoo.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/...tic_ocean_junk

Take a look, plastic trash is now everywhere. When I walk my dog, I see plastic bottles, plastic bags and all sorts of junk, most of which has been washed into storm drains from the streets and then into the local rivers. As Nemo will tell you, all water ultimately leads to the oceans and this stuff doesn't break down quickly.

[The Publisher]

There is supposed to be a giant plastic trash heap floating in the Pacific too.

[acelockco]

disgusting!!!!

[The Publisher]

For the Pacific mess, you would think someone can send out a dozen big purse seiners and net it all.

[gillianreynolds]

Marine litter is any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment. Marine litter consists of items that have been made or used by people and deliberately discarded into the sea or rivers or on beaches; brought indirectly to the sea with rivers, sewage, storm water or winds; or accidentally lost, including material lost at sea in bad weather.

Marine litter originates from many sources and causes a wide spectrum of environmental, economic, safety, health and cultural impacts. The very slow rate of degradation of most marine litter items, mainly plastics, together with the continuously growing quantity of the litter and debris disposed, is leading to a gradual increase in marine litter found at sea and on the shores.

Deficiencies in the implementation and enforcement of existing international, regional, national regulations and standards that could improve the situation, combined with a lack of awareness among main stakeholders and the general public, are other major reasons why the marine litter problem not only remains, but continues to increase worldwide. Furthermore, marine litter is part of the broader problem of waste management, which is becoming a major public health and environmental concern in many countries.