Oil gushing from the BP well

While not exactly earthshaking, a draft study released today by the staff of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, may be the source of some satisfaction to the many Americans who remain skeptical of the government’s response to the disaster:

By initially underestimating the amount of oil flow and then, at the end of the summer, appearing to underestimate the amount of oil remaining in the Gulf, the federal government created the impression that it was either not fully competent to handle the spill or not fully candid with the American people about the scope of the problem.

The draft report (below) is one of four released by the commission today. The others are:

• Decision-Making Within the Unified Command
• The Use of Surface and Subsea Dispersants During the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
• The Challenges of Oil Spill Response in the Arctic

The weekly update issued by the government’s Unified Area Command didn’t comment on the studies.

The Amount and Fate of the Oil

The Amount and Fate of the Oil. Working Paper #3 -

Climate Action in the desert

Yes, there are climate activists in Phoenix, Arizona, as the picture on the right proves. The picture is from last year’s 350.org International Day of Climate Action and shows a local bicycle club from…Cairo? Oh. Wrong desert.

Moving on…forget about last year. This year, Phoenix — and several other Arizona cities and towns — will, indeed, be enlisting desert dwellers in the fight against climate change. And, boy, do we need it. Studies suggest that the record heat and drought we’ve been experiencing throughout the Southwest may be the “new normal” — especially if we don’t take action to reduce our CO2 output.

The Sonora desert is actually one of the most biologically diverse deserts in the world — largely because we used to receive quite a bit of rain in an average year. But the diversity of life we love here is threatened by a lack of moisture and an average temperature increase.

This Sunday — 10-10-10 — is a chance to learn about what can be done to reduce global warming. And an opportunity to show that we’re serious about taking these steps, now!

If you live in Arizona, check out the maps below to see what’s going on in your area. If you live outside of the state, you can get to the original international map, here.

View Actions at 350.org