This is the modern world

A few months back I mentioned that one of the reasons I consider myself very lucky is that areas of incredible natural beauty, like the Tennessee Valley in the Marin Headlands, are just a few miles from my front door.  This is a shot I took from the turnaround point of a bike ride:

But thanks to the Hanjin container ship Cosco Busan dumping 58,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, this beach and many others in the Marin Headlands are now closed:

The coastline along the Marin Headlands was caked with great gobs of goo, forcing closures of Horseshoe Cove at Fort Baker, Tennessee Valley Cove and Rodeo Beach. The rocks at Kirby Cove were slick black with oil, and a purplish sheen could be seen in the water.

"Nine of our beach areas are closed," said Chris Powell, spokeswoman for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. "The worst of our beaches appear to be on the Marin side of the bay."

Here's what Rodeo Beach (just a few thousand feet south of the Tennessee Valley) looks like today:

And here's a closer view of what our beaches look like now:

It's at times like this, when the huge gulf between the world we could have created and the one we've actually made is so apparent, that I wonder if humanity really is worth saving.

Comments

[Mark Miller]

I used to fantasize about a germ wiping out humanity so nature could flourish again in all her glory.

[John Caruso]

Yeah, I think we've all had that thought at one time or another (and in one form or another). It's comforting to know that nature will continue even if we do manage to wipe ourselves out.