The oil spill in the GOM has brought to the world's attention to what extremes oil companies are now having to go in order to find oil.
All the big oil fields have been found and the extraction rate is beginning to fall.Faced with this oil companies are having to go deep to find oil.
The Deep Horizon well is really deep.First it is 5000 feet to the bottom on the ocean then a further 18000 feet to the oil bed.That is why this leak cannot be plugged quickly.No diver can go to that depth,it all has to be done with robots.
The long term solution of a relief well will not be in place until August 2010 because it will take that long to drill through all that rock.
Disasters like this will continue if oil companies are drilling in extreme locations.They will only stop if demand falls and demand will only fall if we come off our dependency on oil.
So look around you at how you use fossil fuels oil gas and coal and come off it.Use public transport,install a woodburner in your home, generate your own electricity with solar panels.
If we all do a little then we can make a big difference.
Best
wishes
Andrew Collinson
