China Oil Spill Doubles In Size as Clean-Up Efforts Continue
The oil spill off the northeast coast of China has doubled since it began last Friday.
Crude oil now covers roughly 165 square miles of water. Although this currently pales in comparison to the size of Gulf of Mexico offshore oil leak (2,700 mile oil slick), it is another black-eye for the oil industry.
The China oil spill began when an oil pipeline exploded while an oil tanker was being unloaded at Dalian Port. The explosion led to a 15-hour firestorm and oil flowing into the Yellow Sea.
According to the China Securities Journal, operations at the Dalian Port have returned to normal. Beaches, however, have been closed, and there are 800 boats and 40 oil skimming vessels trying to clean up the oil.
Greenpeace China's lead climate campaigner, Yang Ailun, said this disaster highlights the time has truly come to shift to renewable energy: "From the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Dalian to the numerous coal mine accidents, it is tragically obvious that economic development built upon fossil fuels is unsustainable and comes at a high price."
Read the full story at the Christian Science Monitor: China oil spill spreads but not as big as BP oil spill in Gulf
Nathanael Baker is the Managing Editor of EnergyBoom. He has researched and reported on the issues of renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change for over two years. He has provided research to the New York Times and The Economist, as well as being published on different media outlets including, The Energy Collective.
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