第二次机会;鹈鹕、石油和希望可再生能源的未来

每周看环境市场和政策的交集,由CRS的员工。

所有的环境问题我已经在能源似乎总是最抽象的。这不是可爱和模糊,我们不吃它。这种事情我们只注意到当它消失了。我们知道我们的活动,我们大部分的能源问题(而且愈演愈烈),但细节容易迷失在大规模电网,将能源产生的现实与光洪水房间当我们点击开关。直到今年夏天,当我被称为工作作为BP的漏油事件响应者的深水地平线钻井平台井喷的重要性思考我们的能量从哪里来了一个有形的形式。形式是数以百计的害怕,油鹈鹕,我是负责保持活着。我是通过环保作为一个动物爱好者。拯救鲸鱼卖给我作为一个孩子,虽然我想我对形势的理解更微妙的现在,我爱的动物仍然是一个推动力量在我希望塑造一个更可持续的世界。多年来我一直与动物,当我成为一个小型非盈利的主任致力于拯救海獭,它有机会训练而对石油泄漏的响应。我刚刚完成了这个培训当深水地平线。 Within weeks I got called out. During my work with sea otters I had advocated against offshore oil drilling, for proper agency oversight of such activities when they did occur, and for solid environmental review of oil activity. Overnight I went from trying to prevent an environmental disaster to putting on hazmat gear, and cleaning one up. I don’t have to tell you that the spill was devastating. You’ve seen the pictures, no doubt. You may have stopped looking at some point when it got to be too much, but I’ll bet that image of an oil soaked pelican is still in your head. Mine too. Pelicans so covered in sticky oil that tar balls formed inside their bills from trying to preen it out. A gull coated in thick, liquid goo. Majestic, obstinate gannets, slowly fading away. More than 2,000 live, oiled birds were brought to one of the wildlife rehabilitation centers set up in the Gulf. Of those, just over 1,200 have been released. Those are big numbers, but to me each individual bird in itself is a story about the tragedy of the spill. The story of rescuing oiled wildlife is often painted as the single story of hope in a tragic situation—these birds are being given a second chance. In some ways this is true, but it’s a costly second chance. Working with wild animals isn’t like taking care of a cat or a dog. Wild animals are, well, wild. As far as they are concerned, we are predators who have them trapped in an inescapable situation. The stress of handling, on top of the physiological impacts of oiling, can be fatal. Never had I had such a tangible understanding of the importance of environmental policy, management, and alternative solutions to fossil fuels. Each pelican I washed was a reminder of what I needed to focus on when I left the spill. That didn’t happen until September, but when it did, I set out to learn more about renewable energy and the path ahead. It’s been a few months since I left the spill, but I still get a disproportionate thrill when I see a pelican fly by. I think back to the oiled birds whose feathers were too soiled to take flight, and I hope that the bird I am watching soar never has to go through that. Holding oil companies accountable, and asking government agencies to follow proper oversight is a step towards that, but so is promoting alternative sources of energy that we don’t have to pay for in pelicans. There are a million reasons to rethink energy—climate change is probably the biggest. I know more than 1,200 smaller ones, flying around on a second chance.Allison福特 是一个研究志愿者CRS Green-e能源工作。她可以达到aford[在]resource-solutions.org。CRS10718