Often, actions to stop oil spills also prevent global warming. One example is 350.org's Action Alert calling for a ban for all offshore oil drilling.

President Obama: This is Your Crude Awakening

Ban Offshore Drilling -- Permanently!

The oil spreading across the Gulf is a test, pure and simple. Will we respond in ways deep enough to matter, or will we continue on a path of destruction, danger, and dirty energy? For too long, oil companies have dictated our energy policy--and now we need to change course and begin a rapid shift to a clean energy economy.

The Obama administration says they are halting new offshore drilling until a safety investigation has been conducted. But that's not enough: we demand a PERMANENT BAN on offshore drilling.

Please sign the petition to President Obama and the US Congress: 350.org representatives will help deliver it to leaders in Washington before the planned hearings on the BP spill.

We urge you to permanently abandon plans for offshore drilling and stop letting oil companies determine energy policy. Instead, invest in a clean and safe energy future that protects the world from the worst effects of climate change.

Please Take Action!

350.org is a global organization fighting global warming, and there certainly are indirect connections between oil spills and global warming. The dependency on fossil fuels is one of the biggest causes of climate change, as well as oil spills and coal sludge spills like the horrific one that happened in Tennessee. One direct connection from British Petroleum's toxic deluge to global warming is that an enormous amount of methane is bubbling up from the ocean and into the atmosphere. Methane, like Carbon Dioxide, is a greenhouse gas.


Photo: Muffett

Speaking of not letting Big Oil dictate energy policy, Friends of the Earth has exposed the biggest recipients of British Petroleum's dirty money. They are asking that those heinous contributions be donated to Gulf Coast cleanup efforts instead.

The "BP Ten" are wanted for taking more campaign contributions from BP than any of their peers in the last two campaign cycles. The BP Ten are:

Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK): BP - $8,550, Rep. John Culberson (R-TX): BP - $10,200, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD): BP - $6,000, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA): BP - $16,200, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): BP - $36,649, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY): BP - $8,500, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): BP - $8,500, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX): BP - $7,300, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY): BP - $6,500, Rep. Don Young (R-AK): BP - $5,500. (Source: OpenSecrets.org)

This money has corrupted the political process and perpetuated our dependence on oil, making spills more likely. They should get rid of this money by donating it to the Gulf Coast Fund.

Instead of writing "(D-LA)" or "(R-TX)" maybe they should just put something like "(R-British Petroleum)." This is yet another example of the one area in DC where bipartisanship is strongest: politicians allowing themselves to be bought and paid for by corporate interests.