Name: The oil spill's unseen villains -- and victims
Uploaded: 2010-07-12T09:28:00Z
Duration: 19 min 39 s
Description: Even as the Deepwater Horizon tragedy unfolded, Carl Safina took the stage at TEDxOilSpill to share what the facts were known at the time. In a blood-boiling cross-examination, he suggests that the consequences will stretch far beyond the Gulf -- and many so-called solutions are making the situation worse.

Even as the Deepwater Horizon tragedy unfolded, Carl Safina took the stage at TEDxOilSpill to share what the facts were known at the time. In a blood-boiling cross-examination, he suggests that the consequences will stretch far beyond the Gulf -- and many so-called solutions are making the situation worse.

The oil spill's unseen villains -- and victims

The Gulf oil spill is not just a regional disaster, but a symptom of deeper problems in how society manages energy and environmental safeguards. Even a small change in ocean pH can cause clams to dissolve in just three days and deform sea urchin larvae. Cleanup efforts often fail, leaving oil to harm marine life, local economies, and migratory species across continents. The real crisis is rooted in regulatory neglect and a dangerous dependence on fossil fuels.