Gore: Oil Spill Worse Than We Think

As the spill in the Gulf continues to gush thousands of gallons of oil a day into the water, Al Gore writes in The New Republic: "Just as the oil companies told us that deep-water drilling was safe, they tell us that it’s perfectly all right to dump 90 million tons of CO2 into the air of the world every 24 hours." Gore then details the "profound and harmful changes" these pollutants are causing. "The oil is having a direct impact on fish, shellfish, turtles, seabirds, coral reefs, marshes, and the entire web of life in the Gulf Coast. The indirect effects include the loss of jobs in the fishing and tourism industries; the destruction of the health, vitality and rich culture of communities in the region; imminent bankruptcies; vast environmental damage expected to persist for decades; and the disruption of seafood markets nationwide."