The following information came to us from the Avaaz community. I encourage you to read and act.
Imagine, everyday there is another 2,500,000 gallons of crude oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico.
Before the spill, U.S. President Obama and Congressional leaders were planning to ramp up offshore drilling. Now, with the spill, the politics have shifted — and an opportunity has opened for the world’s biggest historical climate polluter to shift away from oil and towards climate-safe energy sources.
At a moment like this, when leaders are making up their minds, the world’s voices can help tip the balance. There is a movement afoot to tip that balance away from allowing the destruction of more of land and water. There is a petition circulating that urges the U.S. to stop offshore drilling and to instead invest in clean renewable energy. Once that petition reaches 500,000 it will be delivered to the White House in Washington DC.
To add your name to that petition visit;
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_offshore_drilling_3/?vl
This disaster is expected to be catastrophic for the land and people in the gulf. The oil has already reached land, contaminating wildlife sanctuaries. Authorities are so concerned about the impacts of more oil reaching land that they are prefer to set the gulf on fire, burning as much of the oil as possible.
Meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry is raking in windfall profits. BP, which operated the sunken rig, more than doubled its first quarter profits in 2010 to $5.65 billion.
For years, the world has waited for the U.S. to step up on climate. But with the carbon lobby’s strangle-hold on Washington, we’ve had more drilling in place of stronger investment in cleaner, safer energy sources. It’s time to for a change — Senator Bill Nelson of Florida has already introduced legislation to repeal plans to expand offshore drilling. Let’s back him up with an outpouring of global public outrage. Sign the petition calling on President Obama and Congress to end offshore drilling, and take the US and the world to clean energy future: