June 13, 2010

The Full Price of Oil

The ongoing oil spill is just one cost of our ongoing addiction to fossil fuel. David Biello reports

SUBSCRIBE TO 60-Second Earth

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

The

oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico continues to grow. The screw top placed on top of the broken well now captures more than 600,000 gallons a day and, yet, remains largely invisible behind a veil of oil that continues to spill, adding to the as much as 50 million gallons already in the ocean depths.

Whereas it is the worst oil spill in U.S. history—it's just a piece of the

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

devastation around the globe .

Nigeria, for example, experiences more than

300 such oil spills every year. At least 450 million gallons of oil have fouled the Nigerian delta over the last 50 years. There are other similar recent disasters from Australia to Venezuela.

The environmental impact is only one cost of our oil addiction. Like all addictions, the

greatest toll is on human health . Whether that be the 11 workers killed in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, the more than 70 cleaners sickened by the aftermath, or the thousands of Nigerians killed directly or indirectly by our unquenchable thirst for petroleum .

And don't forget coal and natural gas. They also pollute, sicken and kill. Cleaning up our energy habits is indeed the

moral equivalent of war .

—David Biello

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American