The very energy sources that have gotten us to where we are now are also, if we continue doing what we're doing, a shortcut to the end of all that we hold near and dear.

The ocean governs the climate and the weather, it is taking care of the temperature and it is shaping the chemistry of our planet.

What we put into the atmosphere in terms of burning fuel is unprecedented.

It's taken us a short time to change the nature of nature. In my lifetime, more change than during all preceding human history put together.

It's a fact of life that there will be oil spills, as long as oil is moved from place to place, but we must have provisions to deal with them, and a capability that is commensurate with the size of the oil shipments.

The Exxon Valdez spill triggered a swift and strong response that changed policies about shipping, about double-hulled construction. A number of laws came into place.

The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly stressed Gulf of Mexico will permanently alter the nature of the area.