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Heroes

We can't undo the damage of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. But we can stop it from happening again.

"The agony of foreknowledge combined with the impotence to do anything about it..." — Dr. Kathryn Railly, "12 Monkeys"

True
The Wilderness Society

What would it take to go back in time to before the BP oil spill?

We've seen how the Gulf of Mexico looks today, five years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster and more than a year since the "official" end of cleanup efforts.

But do you ever wonder what it would be like if we could actually undo what was done? If there were some kind of magical reset button that allow us to go back to the fateful day right before everything went wrong?

Would it look like this?

Let's try one more time to travel back to April 19, 2010 — The Day Before the BP Oil Spill.

GIF from "Doctor Who."

The winner of the Boston Marathon sets a new world record.

Robert K. Cheruiyot of Kenya runs the 114th Boston Marathon in just two hours, five minutes, and 52 seconds — a whole 82 seconds faster than the previous record-holder, who was ... also a Kenyan named Robert K. Cheruiyot.

GIF from "The Flash."

Gas prices are holding steady around $2.86 (and won't drop that low again until October 2014).

Which is interesting because Toyota is also in a whole lot of trouble thanks to some malfunctioning gas pedals. But hey, at least they weren't intentionally manipulating emissions tests, right?

GIF from "Back to the Future."

And a New Orleans man leaps from a bridge to save a stranger's life.

Not far from the Mississippi Delta where Deepwater Horizon explodes the next day, a man named John Crosby jumps from the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway into the water below to rescue another man. Crosby keeps him afloat and breathing until help arrives.

GIF from "The Terminator."

But most importantly, our beautiful Gulf of Mexico isn't filled with dangerous oil.


Photo by John Tuggle/ Flickr.

In fact, it's utterly gorgeous ( not like now).

Photo by The222/Wikimedia Commons.

And now our time travel journey returns us to the present — where everything is exactly as we left it.

Like every time-travel adventure, the ultimate lesson here is that we can't change the past. We can't bring back the 11 workers who died in the explosion, or any of the 5,000 dead animals that were recovered in the four months following the Deepwater Horizon incident. BP has spent nearly $50 billion so far in cleanup costs and fines — but there's no amount of money that can undo the damage that's been done.

Yup. That's how much they'd have to clean up. GIF via The Wilderness Society.

But even if we can't rewrite the past, we can still make sure that we don't repeat the same mistakes.

We're still reeling from the repercussions of BP's 2010 oil spill, but the company is already moving ahead with plans to drill four more oil wells in the pristine waters of the Great Australian Bight.

The circumstances are frighteningly similar. But this time we have a chance to take action and stop them before it happens again (and we're faced with the fallout from another devastating disaster that our planet can't recover from) with this petition.

What are you waiting for? The future is counting on you.

Heroes

5 reasons why vegetarians can feel great about their meat-free lives

With help from a friend, here's a not-at-all-definitive list of reasons to say goodbye to bacon.

As a vegetarian, I'm told it's my duty to tell you that Oct. 1 is World Vegetarian Day! Salutations!

Hello, dear reader! Like billions of others on this pale blue dot of ours, I once ate meat. Lots and lots of meat.

My kingdom for a boneless chicken wing. *sigh* Photo by Parker Molloy/Upworthy.

But a couple months back, that changed.

The why isn't really important because the decision to change your diet is a highly personal one. But there are loads of great reasons why people mix it up as I did. What kinds of reasons? Well...

I'm a relative newbie to being vegetarian, so I reached out to a friend for some tips.

His name is Jamie Kilstein. He's a comedian and musician from New York. You may have seen his videos about LGBT rights, religion, and sexism featured here at Upworthy.

Oh yeah, he's also really into mixed martial arts. And he's sick of people asking him where he gets his protein from. Photo by Jamie Kilstein.

He's also vegan, so ... like, a super-vegetarian, and therefore obviously better than me. I asked him for five reasons someone should go vegetarian that have nothing to do with health (because hey, your body, your health). Here's what he told me.

1. Do you like animals?

This one's pretty obvious. "You know when you are supposed to be working but you're watching weird videos on Facebook of pigs sneaking into swimming pools and and rabbits attacking muggers or whatever weird crap is on Facebook?" Jamie asks. "Don't eat them!"

Also, LOOK HOW CUTE THE TINY LITTLE BABY PIGS ARE PLAYING WITH KIDS. Photo via iStock.

"We love animals, we love our cats and pictures of cats and everything cat, but there is such a dissociation between the cute animals we see and what we eat," Jamie told me. "Once you see a pig and learn they are smarter than dogs and just as sweet, it's harder to want to eat them."

Got it. If you like animals, then maybe don't eat them.

2. Stopping climate change which omg omg omg is going to kill us all.

If you list what contributes the most to climate change, you probably picture smokestacks, factories, Hummers, and stuff like that, right?

Mmmm, smog. Photo via iStock.

But really, the livestock industry contributes massively to climate change. Welp.


"Factory farms are such a huge part of climate change and you get to give them the finger when you don't eat their cut-up dead animals," he said, pointing out that if the world gave up eating beef, it'd actually have a bigger impact on carbon emissions than if we abolished cars. "It's so hard to make a tangible difference in this world, but this is a way to!"

3. Dope-ass food! No one craves raw meat.

Vegetarian (and vegan) food can be pretty tasty! Here's a picture of some vegan goodness from Jamie's Instagram page.

Tomato basil almond ricotta and more goodness! #vegan #veganfood #veganfoodporn #veganfighter #bjj #jiujitsu #thisiswhereigetmyprotein
A photo posted by Jamie Kilstein (@veganmma) on

"Even the people who say, 'Yo I'm paleo bro; do you even crossfit?!' don't eat like cavemen because cavemen didn't get their food at Whole Foods! You crave texture and sauces and smells," he says. "Ever since going vegan I've eaten such amazing different types of food I would have never tried before, and I feel amazing. The world isn't what it used to be where if you ask for a vegan option they angrily throw a tomato at you. Jump on Instagram and check it out!"

4. Human rights! Ending world hunger!

This was something that I didn't even think about, but Jamie is totally right.

Not quite sure exactly what this photo is supposed to represent, but it seemed to work. Photo via iStock.

"People always go, 'Well, why do you care about animals more than people?' That's not true! (Except for cats, remember number 1?) We could feed so many more people with a veg diet instead of feeding all of the crops to fatten up animals to feed less people. Plus the conditions on the factory farms and the kill floors for the workers would make you drop that burger pretty fast," Jamie said.

5. Knowing you are a better person than everyone! (OK, not really.)


"Right, Morrissey?! (Kidding) ((Kinda)) (((Not really))) TRY IT!"

Not ready to give up meat cold turkey? No worries! There are other things you can do to help.

Consider cutting back on your meat consumption. One great idea that's been getting a lot of hype lately has been "Meatless Mondays," which is exactly what it sounds like. Giving your body one meat-free day a week has some health benefits, but it also helps reduce the carbon footprint that goes along with our meat-eating world. It doesn't have to be all or nothing to make a difference, and the choice is ultimately up to you! Good luck!

Heroes

This American town is being swallowed by the sea, and there's no one stepping up to save the people.

True
Sierra Club

It was 2002 when the residents of Shishmaref, Alaska, voted to move their entire town.

The writing was on the wall — or, perhaps more accurately, the water was splashing up between their toes.

The shores of their small island home off the western coast of Alaska had been eroding for decades, with anywhere between three and nine feet of shoreline being swallowed up by the Chukchi Sea on a good year.

In a bad year, it was closer to 23 feet.


Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

While their island status posed its own unique issues, Shishmaref was just one of the 31 Alaskan towns facing this exact same problem.

They put together an action plan for relocation and submitted it to the federal government.

It would be another two years until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed their own assessment of the situation. Based on their findings, it would cost an estimated $179 million dollars and between five and 15 years to move the 600 residents of Shishmaref to a new location on the Alaskan mainland. 11 potential new locations were then identified — but of course, that took some time as well.

Meanwhile, the town constructed a 200-foot long seawall to protect the northern coast of the island, a temporary solution to slow the effects of erosion while they awaited the bureaucratic process.


Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

By late 2006, they had settled on a new place to call home, Tin Creek, with a plan to move in April 2009.

The Tin Creek relocation area was just 12 miles across the inlet from Shishmaref, which meant that residents who relied on hunting and fishing would still have access to their same game spots.

While they waited for plans to fall into place, theresidents of Shishmaref had to build two additional extensions to their protective seawall, bringing it all the way to 2,800 feet in length.


Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

Sure, it sapped some of their already-limited resources to keep adding on to this temporary barrier in a place they wouldn't be for very much longer. But it was all worth it because the threat of rising sea-levels caused by melting polar ice caps in the increasingly-warmer Arctic climate would soon be a distant memory.

Or a 12-mile-away memory, anyway.

OK, well, technically it would still be all around them, but at least their homes wouldn't actually be falling into the water anymore ... right?


Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images.

It's 2015, and Shishmaref is still exactly where it's always been — only now it's an even smaller sliver of land.

It's not because they're stubborn or beholden to their homes. Frankly, there's no good reason for it at all, and there's no one thing to blame.

It could have something to do with the fact that the Tin Creek relocation area turned out to be a melting plot of permafrost that's facing the exact same problems as modern-day Shishmaref. Or it might have to do with the the cost of living in Alaska, which is already too high — especially in a place like Shishmaref, where 30% of people already live in poverty and a roundtrip ticket off the island costs nearly $400 per person.


Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

Maybe they're still stuck there waiting for help that might never come because the funding for the relocation project all fell through — which in turn might have something to do with the fact that their only champion in Washington, D.C., was arrested.

Or it could be because federal relief funds are reserved for sudden natural disasters such as hurricanes, and rising water levels aren't considered an emergency because we've known about the disastrous effects of climate change for so long but have never done anything about it.

Personally, I think Occam's Razor makes the most sense and that the federal government simply can't be bothered to spend millions of dollars on a handful of poverty-stricken Inupiat in a remote corner of the country.

Whatever the reasoning, one thing is sure: We have left our fellow U.S. citizens to drown in the wake of a manmade disaster.


Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images

It's only a matter of time before what happened to Shishmaref happens to the mainland United States.

That's not hyperbole. At the rate we're going, the coastal parts of the country, including California and New Jersey, are headed toward their own watery graves. Even if you feel safe in landlocked state, it'll still have disastrous results for the economy (and of course, the effects of climate change won't stop there).

So maybe, just maybe, it's time we do something about it?

Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images.

We can start by demanding that President Obama protect the Arctic Circle, which will maybe give our Alaskan neighbors a fighting chance before they're totally devoured by the Chukchi Sea. In turn, that might help slow the effects of climate change for the rest of us as well.

You can also support the Alaska Coastal Villages Relief Fund for the Support of Children and Families or give directly to any of the other Alaskan towns that could use your help to fund their relocation efforts.

Here's a trailer for a full-length documentary film titled "The Last Days of Shishmaref," in case you haven't seen enough:

More

Nearly 200 countries have signed on to a plan to tackle the world's biggest problems. Let's do it.

Ambitious? Absolutely. Impossible? Hardly.

True
Gates Foundation

Activists, celebrities, and nearly 200 world leaders have gathered for a not-so-simple goal: to save the world.

Seriously.

These demonstrators gathered in New York on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, in support of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Action/2015.

The UN has set out a really ambitious list of 17 goals to achieve sustainable development by the year 2030.

The goals cover a wide variety of topics, all working to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change.


UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was joined by others outside UN headquarters for the announcement.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is joined by his wife Madam Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek, U.K. director-screenwriter Richard Curtis, UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson, and others to watch as the 17 goals are projected onto the side of the UN headquarters in New York. Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images for Global Goals.

The unveiling of the goals coincided with the 70th annual meeting of the UN General Assembly.

President Obama addresses the UN on Sept. 28, 2015. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Around the world, people rallied support for the goals.

In places like Sao Paulo, Brazil:

This person from Sao Paulo shows support for goal number 5: gender equality. Photo by Mauricio Santana/Getty Images for Action/2015.

And Johannesburg, South Africa:

People in Johannesburg gathered to rally support for the global goals. Photo by Gallo Images/Getty Images.

And Sydney, Australia:

Australian actress Deborah Mailman poses on Sept. 24, 2015, in Sydney. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images for Global Goals.

In New York, Mashable's Social Good Summit devoted time to how technology can work together with Global Goals.

Model Alek Wek was in attendance:

Photo by Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for Global Goals.

Teen clockmaker Ahmed Mohamed and National Geographic Society CEO Gary Knell addressed the summit together:

Photo by Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for Global Goals.

And former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan also made an appearance together:

Photo by Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for Global Goals.

On Sept. 25, 2015, 193 countries signed off on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). So ... what happens next?

Three years after the idea for the SDGs were first proposed during the Rio+20 conference, UN member countries signed off on the outline, which picks up where the oft-criticized Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) left off.

One of the biggest criticisms of the MDGs was that there wasn't much in the way of consistent data measurement. The UN hopes to address that with the release of their Data Revolution Report.

Immediately, engineers began work figuring out new ways to address the problems before them:


The next step in implementing the newly-agreed-upon SDGs is an awareness campaign.

Wonder how you can help? Start by spreading the word.

On the Global Goals website, they offer some great tips on how we can all help out.

"The more people who know about the Global Goals for sustainable development, the more successful they'll be. If we all fight for them, our leaders will make them happen. ... We need your help to share the Goals. In conversation, on e-mail, in debate, on products, at home, at work, at school whatever it takes to Tell Everyone."

And on their site, they have a number of ready-for-social-media images to share from your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or Google+ accounts.


A star-studded "We the People" video offers another way to get involved.

The "We the People" campaign launched with the support of people like Ashton Kutcher, Charlize Theron, Chris Martin, Colin Firth, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Kate Winslet, Malala Yousafzai, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, One Direction, P!nk, Robert Pattinson, Robert Redford, Stephen Hawking, Stevie Wonder, and so many more.

You can add your voice to the mix over at the Global Goals site.

Watch the video below:

Scroll down to read the goals in full:

  1. We will live in a world where nobody anywhere lives in extreme poverty.
  2. We will live in a world where no one goes hungry, no one wakes in the morning asking if there will be food today.
  3. We will live in a world where no child has to die from diseases we know how to cure and where proper health care is a lifelong right for us all.
  4. We will live in a world where everyone goes to school, and education gives us the knowledge and skills for a fulfilling life.
  5. We will live in a world where all women and all girls have equal opportunities to thrive and be powerful and safe. We can't succeed if half the world is held back.
  6. We will live in a world where all people can get clean water and proper toilets at home, at school, at work.
  7. We will live in a world where there's sustainable energy for everyone — heat, life, and power for the planet without destroying the planet.
  8. We will live in a world where economies prosper and new wealth leads to decent jobs for everyone.
  9. We will live in a world where our industries, our infrastructure, and our best innovations are not just used to make money — but to make all our lives better.
  10. We will live in a world where prejudices and extremes of inequality are defeated — inside our countries and between different countries.
  11. We will live in a world where people live in cities and communities that are safe, progressive, and support everyone who lives in them.
  12. We will live in a world where we replace what we consume — a planet where we put back what we take out of the earth.
  13. We will live in a world that is decisively rolling back the threat of climate change.
  14. We will live in a world where we restore and protect the life in our oceans and seas
  15. We will live in a world where we restore and protect life on land — the forests, the animals, the earth itself.
  16. We will live in a world with peace between and inside countries, where all governments are open and they answer to us for what they do at home and abroad, and where justice rules, with everyone equal before the law.
  17. And we must live in a world where countries and we, their people, work together in partnerships of all kinds to make these global goals a reality for everyone, everywhere.
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