Lebanon Oil Spill May Rival Exxon Valdez of 1989

[leftchick]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=apje8CwcPPSA&refer=home

Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Lebanon's oil spill, caused by Israeli bombardment of oil storage units at a power plant, may rival the leakage from the Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1989 if left untreated, the United Nations Environment Program said.

``In the worst case scenario, and if all the oil contained in the bombed power plant at Jiyyeh leaked into the Mediterranean Sea, the Lebanese oil spill could well rival the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989,'' the UN said in an e-mailed statement today.

The spill has yet to be cleaned up or assessed more than three weeks after the bombing of the coastal Jiyyeh power plant south of Beirut because of the continuation of hostilities, Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program, said in the statement.

The spill, which has polluted around two-thirds of the Lebanese coast and spread into neighboring Syria, may threaten East Mediterranean countries such as Cyprus and Turkey, Lebanon's Environment Minister Yacoub Sarraf has said.

:cry:

[Endangered Specie]

1. Hey, don't you mean OUR oil?

:sarcasm:

[The Straight Story]

5. Satellite images of it here:

http://www.zki.dlr.de/applications/2006/lebanon/lebanon_2006_modis_en.html

[snappyturtle]

2. I've heard of the spill on the net but has anyone seen any ....

mention on MSM? A smidgen? Anything at all?

[The Straight Story]

3. A photo of it:

[Purveyor]

12. ABC Evening New last Sunday had a small segment on it... n/t

[snappyturtle]

13. Well, I obviously missed the ABC report. but can you explain

why this isn't BIG news? Of course the carnage of the war is the REALLY BIG news but this is another devastation certainly "worthy" of being publicized.

[The Straight Story]

4. More from UNEP Here:

http://www.unep.org/lebanon/

[daleo]

6. By oil volume, it is about half a Valdez already

It might be worse, given the warmer waters of the Mediterranean compared to the North Pacific. That might help mitigate matters, though. I guess a marine biology person would be able to provide some educated opinion on that subject.

[The Straight Story]

7. Another photo for the thread:

[daleo]

8. That looks bad all right

That will shut down the tourist industry, and fishery for years I would think (even after the war is over, assuming it ever ends).

[leftchick]

9. awful

horrendous, :cry:

[existentialist]

11. You're correct.

I'm no marine biologist either, but I do know that there are certain kinds of bacteria that eat the oil, and render it harmless. This takes time, but it takes a lot less time in warm water than cold water.

This is the only reason that the slicks from the first gulf war weren't incredible long term ecological disasters. A Mediterranean oil spill won't break down as quickly as a Arabian (or Persian--same gulf different names) oil spill but it will be a lot faster than an Alaska oil spill.

[WindRavenX]

10. as if this bullshit couldn't get anymore ridiculous

:(

[TommyO]

14. Thank you, Israel

even those of us who have had generally positive feelings about you are turning!

[Mind_your_head]

15. Wow - this is the FIRST I've heard of this K&R n/t

[happydreams]

16. I just wish it would wash back on Israe'l shores.

[Bretttido]

17. Which was worse, Valdez or Gulf 1?