Mexican Leaders Dither as Gulf Oil Disaster Accelerates
"It is
outrageous that the Mexican government seems unable to prevent a catastrophe,
the onset of which is slowly approaching 24 hours a day. … They watch with
their arms crossed while the fauna, flora and ecosystems of the sea that
give us so much and from which we take so much, are beginning to die."
It's
already the worst oil spill in the history of the United States. But its
proximity to our country hasn't been reason enough for Mexican authorities to
keep a closer watch on the Gulf of Mexico to prevent any damage that may obviously
occur. I spoke on this issue last week, following a statement by Energy Secretary
Georgina Kessel. She
told us then that Mexico was watching what was happening with the oil spill from
afar, because the wind direction was "favorable to us."
But things
today look different and there are forecasts predicting the likely arrival of
the petroleum on Mexican soil. Given this - surprise! - Mexico continues to watch
the ecological catastrophe from afar. There was an announcement that "studies
will be conducted" about what might happen to the Gulf Coast if the thing actually
hits us, but there are no clear contingency plans.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
How
very strange and inefficient it is that since the British Petroleum platform
exploded last April 20 (leaving 11 people dead), the amount of oil that has
gushed into the sea has been calculated in barrels of crude. Up until yesterday,
the amount was calculated to be around 5,000 barrels a day or 210,000 gallons, with
the total number of gallons estimated at 3.5 million. [Current estimated are
somewhere between 30,000 and 80,000 barrels a day].
What's
been done in our country in this regard is limited to conducting "studies
to measure the possible damage" and "choosing the right legal
instruments,” so that we can tell the company that owns the platform to be responsible
and repair the damage.
There
isn't a single concrete measure being put in place by our country to lessen the
damage that could arrive in just days. It's only now that Mexican authorities are
beginning to "fear," although they're still looking on the bright
side and hope that the ocean currents will lend them a hand and prevent the
crude from reaching the Mexican coast.
And
yet both the Mexican Navy and the Secretary of Environment agree that these
currents, which up to now have been so kind to the Mexican coast, particularly those
closest to the U.S. in the state of Tamaulipas, will only flow in their current
direction until August. After that point, the currents may be dangerous for
Mexico and its coasts. But we must also take into account global warming, which
has made a vague memory of the proper seasons; the climate now behaves according
to its own whims, and one cannot make reliable forecasts. That's one reason for
us to act now - and not wait until the arrival of the oil slick is imminent. It
is outrageous that the Mexican government seems unable to prevent a catastrophe,
the onset of which is slowly approaching 24 hours a day. It's outrageous that
the government should be unable to defend our territory from an ecological assault
that should be on its list of priorities.
But ultimately,
the most important thing is not what British Petroleum does or doesn't do; it's
that the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and all of the oceans, belong to
the world! We're talking about a major ecological tragedy that all of the world's
governments, particularly those countries that produce oil, are washing their
hands of with the most outrageous pettiness. They watch with their arms crossed
while the fauna, flora and ecosystems of the sea that give us so much and from
which we take so much, are beginning to die. And OPEC? What shameful silence ...
Most likely because, due to the spill, oil prices will again go through the
roof ...
