A recent story that ties in with something I was thinking about in class a while ago.... We have many uses for the oceans, but do they all coexist? For example, I wouldn't want fishermen hauling trawlers and leaving long-lines anywhere near where my ocean cruise was to run through. Florida is having an issue with this - an ocean industry and ocean recreation collision.
When I think of Florida, I think of beaches. Parks and sports based around water. Swimming, tanning, etc. Oil slicks of the petroleum kind don't really mesh with that idea. Florida officials are debating whether building oil rigs just off their coast would be benificial or detrimental to their state.
On the one hand, as just said, industry and recreation of those kinds should be kept separate. Florida is hugely tourism-based. Hotels and resorts abound. Many, many people visit the area. So if there were to be an accident, an oil slick or something similar, how much would that cost? What would the risk be to marine life? How much damage would blasts create?
On the other hand, there is the money. Gas prices soared this past summer. More resources would bring in a lot of money. Sadly, with a lot of people, the attraction of the money outweighs the risks that the oil rigs could bring.
Personally, I think that investing in more non-renewable resources is a mistake. We should devote the money it would cost to develop these rigs to coming up with viable alternatives and using them. Alternatives that would not pose huge threats to life (human and marine) if something was to go wrong. Alternatives that are cleaner, that would not produce waste that harms our already-wounded environment.
Clearly, industry and tourism do not mix. A small mistake on the industry side could lead to a huge disaster on the tourism side. Likewise, humans being too close to things they do not understand, or cannot control, is never a good idea. Like on our oceans, these things should be kept apart as much as possible.
For more info on the Florida debate visit
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tourism/article836896.ece
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