One (small) possible silver lining to the Gulf oil catastrophe

The Deepwater Horizon Gulf Spill is a tragedy on just about every level. This cannot be denied.

HOWEVER, I have noticed one small, possibly positive effect -- it has woken up a LOT of people to the fragility of the earth.

This seems to be massive enough to cut across traditional liberal/conservative lines. I see lots of conservatives condemning this and reacting in shock, horror, and outrage. In the past, caring out the environment has generally been seen as a "leftist" issue. Perhaps this is a big enough wake up call to push concern for the environment beyond the tired old knee-jerk left-right reactions.

I hope so, anyway. It could be one small, good thing to come from this horror.

[edit on 5/28/10 by silent thunder]

The unusual presence of an alkaline salt form in the atmosphere is in the process of being established and confirmed through electrolysis testing. It has been deduced and established from earlier work and research that a case for testing the atmosphere, water and soil for alkaline salts exists based upon meteorological, chemical and physical principles. Please refer to A Case for Testing, Eight Conditions, Drastic pH Changes, pH Test Alert, 20 Times and pH Test Results for additional reference material on this topic.

It is established that testing shows an approximate twenty fold increase with respect to baseline values in the level of hydroxide (OH- ions) of rainwater during the previous year. These tests are statistically significant at the 99.99%+ level. This increase is directly associated with extensive and sustained aircraft aerosol operations across the country since the early part of 1999. This equivalently means that the pH of the atmosphere has recently been significantly and rapidly altered as an apparent consequence of the aerosol operations.

The presence of an anticipated alkaline salt form, or electrolyte, has now been confirmed through electrolysis testing. The specific salt form is not yet identified, although the number of candidates is relatively few in number.

Two simultaneous conditions exist which bear out the conclusions being reached on this page. First, the dramatic increase in rainfall pH indicates that an unusual presence of hydroxide ions, (OH-) now commonly exists in reported rain samples across the country. Secondly, electrical current applied to these same samples results in a chemical reaction that can occur only in the presence of an electrolyte, i.e., a salt form. The specific reaction which has been recorded involves evolution of hydrogen gas at the cathode, and the dissolution of copper at the anode when copper electrodes are used. The magnitude of the reactions recorded, in comparison to control tests, indicates the presence of a metallic alkaline salt within the rainfall that has been tested.

The candidate list of salt forms is expected to consider those elements within Group I and II of the periodic table, with a special emphasis applied to barium oxide, barium hydroxide and barium hydrate. Future research will focus on the separation of the influence of carbonic acid, if any, in the electrolytic reaction, and identification of the specific salt form under examination. The concentration levels within an individual rain sample of the salt form are expected to be extremely low as indicated by the pH values recorded, and therefore potentially difficult to detect. It is also worth noting that the safe levels of elements such as barium in the environment are also quite low, and on the order of 1-2 ppm.

[caution.. this may sound like a flame.. but it's no more a flame than saying leftists are environmentalist and others aren't]

I disagree that environmentalism is a leftist view.. I think ignorant extremist environmentalism is a leftist view. The same kind of extremism that paints conservatives as non-environmentalists.

For example, Green Peace was against nuclear power for a very long time. Now they are "for it" after realizing it was the best cleanest smartest alternative all along... so who was in the wrong here? Who were the "true" environmentalists?

reply to post by silent thunder


Here is a link to a video I posted previously here on ATS. It is a reminder of how powerful, yet fragile our earth really is. Enjoy.

www.youtube.com...

reply to post by silent thunder


Maybe this will be a positive outcome. I can hope. Like the kid in Angels in the Outfield said, "It can happennnnn".

I'm more pessimistic about it all. I just believe it will be the same ole, same ole. Obama is not the saviour, though many people hoped he would be that. He's a dancing puppet. He's just as clueless as the the former POTUS. And he surrounds himself with the same dancing puppets as the former. And they are clueless.

But. if this blowout of sn oil drilling operation can wake up all of us, then that is good.

But it won't.

While I think that the oil spill will raise temporary awareness of the environment, it will not last. It seems people always forget the lessons of the past, and are doomed to make the same mistakes twice, or thrice...

It will be just like every other disaster we have faced. There will be an initial reaction to the event, everyone will pool together in unity, and then slowly start to fall apart, leading to a rinse and repeat type scenario.

reply to post by user414


Hi user. read a column, I think it was on ABC, and there is no excitement about this disaster. Whenever I turn on the news, no big thing.

There was a concert to raise money for people that already suffering economic troubles from this. The concert was in LA and raised 350,000 dollars. A drop in the big bucket. Who, in LA would actually spend a lot of money for a concert, knowing they will probably be facing economic ruin?

How about a concert in NYC?
Or Los Angeles?

Or a Bono or Sting supported concert in, well, anywhere big and rich?

5 weeks this has been going on. And no solution, nor no help.
What is it? A republican governor of LA? I just thought that up. lol

What is it that makes this devasting event be no big deal?

It is going to cause many more problems than those who live in LA. It has world wide implications, at least for the eastern coast of the U.S. and eastern Eurppe. directly, plus many more economic situations in other countries.

What is this, about this situation that isn't causing concern? Or at least, great concern?

Anybody else from around the world like to chime in? Is it just my imagination that this is a worldwide incident?

Whatever you have to say will be appreciated by me.