Would you drive 5.4 miles less per day to end drilling in the Gulf of Mexico? This is how much Treehugger.com predicts would free us from using oil from the gulf – a tangible way of making the argument (a little simplistic, too) – treehugger.com. As we continue to see oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, anyone in their right mind would question the safety and value of deep water oil drilling. Too bad it takes a disaster like this to make people wake up and pay attention. The broader point is that whether the oil is coming from the Gulf of Mexico or from the Middle East, our petroleum supply is insecure in the broadest sense. The technology is not there to stop an oil spill 5,000 ft. below the surface, sentiments in countries like Iran, Iraq and other oil producing countries in the Middle East are anti-American (with good reason) and “easy” oil production is waning around the globe. We will have to continue to rely on hard to reach sources of oil which brings increased risk. We need to do a lot more than drive 5.4 miles less every day. We need to increase efficiency and conservation as well as find new, renewable sources of energy. Without this we will continue to be beholden to oil from the Gulf and Middle East.
