Mr. George Hansen makes the stretch that birds died because we use gasoline in our cars (“Dead seabirds are the harbinger of a preventable future,” May 28). A few other things to consider:
1) He may want to discard his wetsuit, flip-flops, and sunglasses, which may also contain petroleum.
2) Elevated seawater temperatures may be affected by sub-sea volcanos off Oregon and Washington state. The Humboldt Current switching annually runs north to south and the California Current south to north.
3) Robust populations of marine mammals are depleting fish stocks. While fisheries decline, some marine mammal populations, like California sea lions, are above historic numbers and consume several times more fish (billions of pounds more) than are caught by humans.
4) Studies in the Santa Barbara Channel have found that 4,200 gallons of oil leak from natural seeps daily. Offshore oil production has reduced air emissions from these leaks.
There is far more to this story than what was reported.
Steve Rebuck
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Pride 2026.
Fun fact: The word “pismo” was the Chumash term for the petroleum tar on the beaches which has always been produced by natural seeps, and which wildlife has always managed to survive.
Valid points, but they don’t change the fact that the planet is warming at an alarming rate and over 99% of published climate scientists pinpoint the burning of fossil fuels as the reason. No one is arguing that oil is not an important element in our society and economy but the continued, prolific burning of it is foolhardy when we have options to change that behavior.
And, yes indeed, ocean volcanos are partially responsible for the current Pacific warming but those volcanos have been active for years and current temperatures are the hottest ever recorded.
Likewise, yes, seals are at a historic high but they are not solely responsible for the decline of fisheries. The Pacific Ocean and waters across the world are experiencing record temperatures directly related to climate change which have put immense pressure in fisheries.
Finally, on your last point and Mr. Donegan’s accurate contribution, yep, I’m a very old man who has hiked all over the Santa Barbara County Coast and have seen seepage in many places. The ocean off our coast naturally bleeds oil. So what? That has been occurring for centuries and is not responsible for current warming. That we pump it and then burn it, however, most certainly is.
Now, I get it, your letter is in response to the possibility of windmills several miles off the coast somehow marring California’s beauty. Plenty of folks don’t want it, but it is still a potential tool. Maybe it will never materialize or be needed. In the Central Valley a group of farmers are building what will be the largest solar farm in the world. And maybe we do need more nuclear. I think it needs more study, but small core reactors could be another tool in our chest.
What we don’t need is to continue at breakneck speed in burning fossil fuels. We need to transition to transportation, industrial and domestic heating and cooling systems that run on renewables. You’d think this current war in the middle east and sky high gas would nudge us more quickly toward that goal.