Drunk Gulf dolphins?
| 21 June, 2010 | Adie Chan |
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OK. I understand that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an environmental disaster of epic proportions. I get that whole ecosystems are being disrupted, that many organisms will perish, and that human livelihoods are being hit hard by the spill.
I even understand that bottlenose dolphins — those perennially charismatic macrofauna — in the Gulf will be negatively impacted as they grapple with millions of gallons of crude oil fouling their habitats. Heck, studying the impacts of the oil on dolphins and the rest of the Gulf ecosystems in a way represents an unprecedented opportunity for ecological research.
But doesn’t the BBC, which I usually respect as a top-notch news service, have anyone better to ask about how Gulf dolphins are doing with plumes of oil creeping into their feeding and birthing grounds?
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10346092.stm
The tour guide interviewed in the above BBC video seems like a nice enough person, but must we really turn to her for a “scientific” perspective on the spill’s impact on her beloved dolphins?
This is the kind of stuff that gives environmental reporting a bad name. Maybe producers at the BBC were a little “drunken” when they decided to run this piece.
– Bob Grant, Associate Editor, The Scientist
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previous post
Has it occured to anyone that the universe, that gave humans such promise and opportunities to flourish, just might be a little pi–ed off at us and has perhaps decided it’s time to render us extinct before we destroy the rest of its creation?
Deny reality at your own peril.
1. “Human beings hardly ever learn from the experience of others. They learn; when they do, which isn’t often, on their own, the hard way”.
2. “Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can’t help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity”.
Both quotes above are from one of my favorite authors, Robert Heinlein.
Just this morning, I heard that the oil companies are contesting the 6-month moratorium on deep-water drilling for oil in the Gulf. Why can’t they just take their knocks, learn from them, and provide the government (and us, the people) with a real plan that would work to stem the kind of environmental horror that is taking place in the Gulf of Mexico? They obviously don’t have one! So quotes 1 and 2 – this is a perfect example, in action. The job security of working folks who work for and provide services to oil companies would be much better served in the long run by an attitude of humility on the part of their mangement. BP may or may not survive in the long run – it may get “executed” through the stupidity of the engineers/managers who chose to cut corners when drilling the well, courtesy of the corporate culture that obviously encouraged / tolerated it. Enron, anyone??
As for the interview with the tour boat guide, they probably chose a lay person because that will appeal to the public. Scientists can come accross as too obscure for a lot of people. We need to do more to deal with the public, not just when crises occur. Education of the public should be one of the career objectives we have in our professional lives.