In light of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, do you support offshore drilling for oil anywhere in the world?

Drill, baby, drill! The thrill of the spill!

All part of the price you/we/the world pays for dependency on oil in sustaining and advancing our way-of-life.

islandview: Sadly, judging by a minority of the posters on the issue, there are still those who think that the US needs to drill to avoid dependency on foreign oil as opposed to seeking out alternative means of fuel (preferably renewable/self-sustaining). Some people just never learn.

I don't think I can say "support" or "not support" at the moment it seems to be a necessary evil that we got to live with.

Even if we find a new source/material to replace oil it will still take decades to do so. Why because everything we use, touch and use to create new stuff uses oil-derived products. That switch-over will take time.

Was easier when Oiln replaced whale-products as the industrial complex was a fraction of the current one.

Not even going into that the current oil-companies will fight and delay the move to the new source/material.

HTH.

Even if we find a new source/material to replace oil it will still take decades to do so

there is nothing than can replace oil. It has more calories of energy than pretty much anything else, and that's why it runs the modern world. It will not be replaced. Only our demands will have to wake up and face reality.

http://www.energybulletin.net/primer (Peak Oil Primer)

USA can go renewable like no one else on the planet, given the size of the country and the technical capacity. Yet it basically refuses to do so. Only until there is another oil shock, will the USA change. Funny though, when they do, they'll come out ahead.

until the world gets more serious about alternative energy, we'll keep having these disasters . hopefully, we'll wake up some day.

Of course I support it, it's my job. The last MAJOR rig disaster of this magnitude was the Piper Alfa in the North Seda in 1988. Since that incident, all industry workers attend hours and hours of safety training. Accidents happen in any industry, should we stop flying because of air disasters, should we stop mining because of cave-ins, should we stop shipping chemicals by rail beause of train wrecks?

Nice use of under-toned America bashing some posters are using. America doesn't refuse to use renewable energies or alternative energies. We have been using them since their creation. The fact is is that this better technology is very expensive and despite the Rich stereotypes that we have, the majority of the population can't afford environmentally friendly things. Maybe when they become commercially available people will change. We use solar power, wind power, hydroblah blah. Get the picture? We don't refuse anything.

If I may Christa879, the US is using three times more oil than China (2007 numbers) and the Ford 150 and trucks like it are still on the best selling cars list in the US.

Although American drivers have had a choice for many years to shift to smaller, more efficient vehicles, they haven't really done so.

The Ford Focus and the Ford Fiesta are among the most popular automobiles in the world, second and third behind the Toyota Corolla but two trucks have been at the top (or near the top) of the US list for years (until 2008). Gas guzzlers are predominant in the lower 48. Don't you think that more could be done by the American citizens you were mentioning? It is not bashing if the facts show something to be true.

How about buying more American products like the Focus and the Fiesta? That would be a good start. And they are cheaper and much more environmentally friendly than your SUV/Trucks. I'm sure the majority of the population can afford a Fiesta...

You can't stop progress for the sake of one or two greenies.

I think they should shut ALL rigs down immediately. I look forward to the resulting anarchy. I especially look forward to the people who voted in favour of shutting them down screaming blue murder when the world economy goes to pieces as a result.

if there is a silver lining it is that it happened to america for once. want to drive an SUV, pay the price

There is nothing wrong with off-shore drilling - the whole of the North Sea oil industry in Europe is built on it, a huge number of rigs for decades. Knee-jerk reactions against it look juvenile.

Yes, there has been an accident, but every now and then an oil tanker sinks causing environmental damage, but no one proposes banning the transport of oil by ship.

It is all very well to want to promote renewable solutions, but you are never going to get a 747 in the air using wave power. Ethanol is an obvious near-substitute, but it requires huge amount of land and lost food production (try telling the hungry in Africa that they will starve so that you can run an environmentally friendly car).

(try telling the hungry in Africa that they will starve so that you can run an environmentally friendly car).

WILL starve? a large chunk of 'third world debt' originates from the '73 oil crisis. environmentally friendly cars? the hungry in africa are starving so we can have banks

I support people living what they profess to believe or demand of others. Does the size of American automobiles and the odd but inevitable occurrence of an oil spill freak you out? Well then, go off the grid. Unplug your PC. Stop driving. Stop flying. Eat only uncooked food. Get a bike. Shun plastics. Put your money where your mouth is.

a necessary evil..... we don't have the energy infrastructure in place to pick up the slack if we cut that oil...which is also "our" own fault. We aren't sufficiently motivated nor willing to sacrifice....

In light of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, do you support offshore drilling for oil anywhere in the world?

Well, no, not in places where there is likely no oil.

I would not say I am 100% against drilling but the questions has been framed, "anywhere in the world." That is something I would not agree with. Reword the question to "select places" and I bet the majority would agree.

It will probably have to happen, conventional oil wells/reserves are already all starting to become third tier and forth tier (signs Peak oil). So offshore reserves will have to be expolited but even then the time from now until then, the demand is going to well beyond the supply and once expensive alternatives will not be so expensive relatively speaking.

Yes, oil is currently the most cost effective energy source available. I'd love to buy into a couple solar panels or a wind turbine but they simply aren't worth it right now. Only reason I'd get one right now would be for the novelty or if I wanted to brag to my neighbors about how environmentally friendly I am, maybe throw in some BS about shrinking my carbon footprint or whatever those people talk about.

If people would stop holding their nose at the prospect we could probably get some Nuclear plants up faster. There needs to be a lot more R&D before most available renewable energy sources can considered an economically viable alternative to oil.

How about buying more American products like the Focus and the Fiesta?

Dunno, I just don't like them.

(try telling the hungry in Africa that they will starve so that you can run an environmentally friendly car).

Oh please, most of the biomass fuel is made of byproducts anyway. Playing the starving people in Africa card doesn't work especially considering how much farmers get paid in subsidies to keep our food prices up.

Dunno, I just don't like them.

Gotta ask! Why don't you like them? Just wondering.

There needs to be a lot more R&D before most available renewable energy sources can considered an economically viable alternative to oil. =you have 3D solar panels (cells) that will probably break this barrier. When you go solar you are more conscious of your energy use and hence use less.

Oh please, most of the biomass fuel is made of byproducts anyway. This is true: most oil is biomass. But by using the sun directly thru solar you can bypass some of those biomass steps.

I don't support the environmental terrorism. I am against it -however it is a very cruel way to attack a populace thru health and economy.

you have 3D solar panels (cells) that will probably break this barrier. When you go solar you are more conscious of your energy use and hence use less.

Took me a few minutes to figure out what you were saying, the quotes are a little garbled.

Consciousness is wonderful, cost effectiveness is better. Solar panels are really expensive and you don't get that much bang for your buck. Plus they're fragile, rely on sunlight that people like me don't see 9 months out of the year, and the rate of obsolescence in that industry is almost as bad as computers.

This is true: most oil is biomass.

I means that most of our ethanol is made of food processing byproducts like corn husks and plant stalks. We don't use them, can't eat them, so we make fuel out of them.

I said yes, but am amazed at the video showing the squirt action. Isn't also possible that a large underwater earthquake or volcano can create fissures that do the same thing...release a ton of oil? Try a baby nuke and jam that hole.

Sure, but it can't be the status quo. It has to be safer and smarter, whether that comes in higher liability caps or higher safety standards. By smarter, it's important that we extract as much oil as economical by longterm standards, rather than burning through oilfields using inefficient methods. Many methods only extract half the oil and spoil the rest, mainly to save money (the other half becomes costlier as the pressure drops) which makes sense in the short term except in the long term oil will be worth more and would justify a more conservative method.