Empty promises.

Empty promises should not be made. Just write. There was something inherently voyeuristic about watching the bird as it drowned in the oil, helpless and unable to move. Innocense lost. Nothing can stop the flow of oil, yet. But what has happened is tragic, leaving one lost for your words. The environmental destruction is tragic and the effect of this will be long felt if not irreversible. The true economic impact of the oil spill is yet to be felt on a global level. BP has "offered no firm guidance on plans for dividend payments to shareholders. Some American political leaders have called for dividend payments to be suspended while BP addressed the needs of residents of the Gulf. The impact of such a step would be felt widely, not least in Britain where BP is cornerstone stock of millions of pension plans. BP accounts for one seventh of all dividends paid out by blue-chip companies in Britain, much of it feeding retirement policies. A suspension of dividend payments would be felt across the UK economy."

The oil spill is economic, environmental and its scope far reaching. Its reach will extend beyond the United States, how far this reach will extend is yet unknown. Though we may be disturbed by this tragic event what can be done to effect change? Thomas Friedman sees the oil spill as not only tragic but an opportunity to move away from an oil addiction through innovation and renewable technologies, is this however possible in a growth orientated economy? No renewable energy source is comparable to oil when a cost benefit analysis is applied to energy variables.

Ultimately there needs to be a rethink/shift in our goals and thought processes if real change is to take place and future catastrophes not to occur, politically and personally.

Legal steps must be taken not only to make BP pay for the damage it has created but even more important regulation must be enacted so that companies take their responsibilities seriously. It is interesting to note that BP (British Petroleum) in ad over the years has marketed BP to stand for Beyond Petroleum. They then should be held to account for this marketing mechanism. Why has a boycott not been setup to boycott BP around the world? Perhaps we feel powerless and if we are to boycott BP we will be giving our money to Exxon Mobil. A hegemony exists, what can we do to enable change? Perhaps we can learn from the recent events in Gaza. Though LOUD SPACE does not condone the use of violence by some of the protesters on the flotilla, the biggest impact of the Mavi Marmara's mission may be that Israel may be pressured to increasingly open Gaza's borders to aid.

The oil spill needs to evoke the world's anger and rage, it must evoke calls for change towards a more sustainable world. It must force governments, people and companies to change their practices. The world has two options following the spill, to learn and grow or continue on the same destructive path, it scares me to think that we will continue with the same unsustainable practices, it is not viable and through them we will kill the only place we know in the galaxy that sustains life, our home.