"Blistering Planet" should be the new namesake for BP.  This is yet another hot spot in the world's activities that is unsustainable.  This issue is not whether the drilling at 5,000 feet deep is safe, but why we need to drill this way in the first place?   There are plenty of technologies around the world that can pacify our thirst for energy.  They simply are not being used because of vested interests, lack of will, lack of knowledge, and fear of change. It is time that we feel the heat these blisters are causing, and start to fear what might happen when they pop.  

Blisters are "hot spots" when something gets used too much. When these develop, it starts to hurt.  Once they break, they may infected, or, cause something to be unusable because of the pain that the overuse had created.

Why can't we see the writing on the walls when these planetary blisters pop right in front of us?  Unfortunately, in most cases, they are continuing to grow, unchecked, and unthreatening to those who seem to think that nature, or our communities, will be able to recover.   As these hot spots grow, we tend not to see them from a high level.  They could be in the form of a dry river, a polluted lake, a lost species, a flattened forest or a pillaged sea.  

The BP disaster is exactly that, a disaster.  It is not a "spill" - it is an ongoing puncture in the skin of the planet that we have no knowledge of how to mend.  Someone from above is telling us that enough is enough.   

It is time that the innovators, bankers, venture capitalists and the community start to make significant moves towards new technologies, solutions and processes.  Politicians have been left out of this list, because except for a small minority, most are too worried about their next election to truly uphold their obligation to society.  It is interesting to note that only in a few countries can politicians seem to make a quick decision and have it be acted upon, as in China, and start to make the significant and meaningful environmental changes that are needed.   These changes will be the biggest economic transformation and opportunity of our lives, yet most of us are sitting on our respective chairs, watching like spectators who are too clumsy to move and adapt.  

The Blistering Planet situation, where the Gulf of Mexico will be a new ecological dead zone for years to come, should be the biggest wake up call of our time.   Has anyone heard the alarm clock ringing?   It doesn't seem like it.

Doug Woodring is the founder of Project Kaisei, a nonprofit dedicated to understanding and solving the problem of marine debris. To help Project Kaisei and the ocean, book your hotels on Expedia's new site - http://travelrelief.org/project-kaisei/ and click Project Kaisei. Kaisei gets 8 percent of all bookings, at no cost to you.