To the editor:
Re: "Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»sees dramatic drop in tanker traffic this year," Aug. 31.
It was very interesting to read this article. We, as environmentalists, need to do all we can to try and make governments and companies do things the best way possible, but the economy of oil is still going to have its needed priority-period. What troubles me is the fact that oil is so often only looked at from the "fossil fuel" perspective. I think few people could live 10 minutes without coming into contact with oil. I do not mean the fuel/energy; I mean the petroleum products like plastics and the myriad of synthetic materials that abound in products that many of us might be flabbergasted to know are oil-based. Petroleum is there-somewhere, somehow-in practically everything we use that is artificial. Sure, there can be substitutes for anything, but are we, the human species, ready to replace the incredible versatility of petroleum? Yes, we all demand it worldwide, whether our "dependency" is direct or indirect, whether or not we are conscious of this fact! And I honestly believe that many, many people are not fully conscious of this fact. Our civilization would find it very hard to survive without oil. It saddens me deeply to know, that despite being an avid environmentalist and conservationist, I am contributing to the environmental ruin of this beautiful planet with all the tragic consequences.
Frances Dietz, Vancouver
