Last summer, the people of Richmond were in shock from the explosion and following fire that broke out at the Chevron oil refinery in their city. Black plumes of smoke hovered over the Bay, and people filled local emergency rooms with respiratory complaints. Chevron blamed the explosion on a ruptured pipeline.
When we talk about climate change, it’s easy to get stuck in our terrestrial mammal mindset. Let’s face it: most of us are total dry land chauvinists. The only time we even notice something’s happening to the ocean is when it’s gnawing away at our coastline. But something else is going on just beneath the surface. Certain sections of the ocean are losing oxygen – and that’s just as bad for sea creatures as it would be for us.
