When I was in business, I was never comfortable with the concept of risk-benefit analysis, or even of just simple risk analysis. In my opinion, these studies are inevitably affected by the personal biases of the analysts and/or their clients, are speculative at best, and otherwise questionable or even down-right suspect, in many of their conclusions.
With respect to off-shore oil drilling, that form of resource exploration and exploitation has always been considered a high stakes risky business. Also, no matter how much the engineering technology may have improved over the years, as the current BP platform disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has unfortunately proven, it can also result in serious negative environmental consequences. But... until we have multiple, effective, alternate sources of energy, I guess we're all just going to have to suck it up (Pun intended). Fortunately the energy mix will change over time, but this begs the question, is there sufficient time remaining?
Another source or category of research I don't trust at all, at all, at all, is the the never ending barrage of studies being churned out by the oil industry, the related carbon energy-source industries of coal and natural gas, and/or their minion consulting experts and spin doctors. Their collective credibilities belong somewhere deep down there with those of the tobacco and asbestos industries.
How can any individual with even a modicum of common sense, refuse to believe that the dramatic increase in atmospheric CO2 which has occurred since the start of the industrial age (when man started to seriously burn fuel of all types) and is still accelerating, is not a significant contributing cause of (note: I did not say the exclusive cause of) the greenhouse effect and the resultant atmospheric, oceanic and global warming?
There are many similar photos available via Google images.
Certainly the current disaster has served to reopen the discussion on off-shore oil drilling, its safety and even viability. "In the Gulf of Mexico alone there are right now some 3,500 oil and gas rigs in operation, employing in the order of 35,000 workers, and producing 30% of the US's domestic oil supply. But now we are learning that it is actually an even more dangerous industry than mining, having accounted for 71 deaths and 1,500 injuries, and almost as terrifying, it has sustained an extraordinary 948 rig fires since 2001". (CBS 28 April 2010)
It seems appropriate here to introduce my favourite definition of the word "expert":
Ex means out of, and a spurt is nothing more than a drip under pressure.
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