Several U.S. senators are quoted as expressing concern about the amount of toxic dispersants used by BP in the Gulf of Mexico, given the effects of these chemicals on plankton (BP marks blowout milestone, Report on Business, 5 August).

One can only hope that the senators’ new-found affection for plankton will see the passage of legislation that reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the US, given the effects of ocean acidification caused by carbon dioxide on plankton.

Published, Globe and Mail, 7 August 2010.