Because I honestly believe the exploitation of fuel reserves will march ahead regardless of any community or environmentalist protest against it, I recommend that we follow all four courses of action below.

1. Revisit the old fuel technologies we were using before, but that were discarded because they were cumbersome or inefficient compared to the glossy modern models. Revisit also, the newer technologies that looked promising but you were not ready to commit to. Modernize and increase the efficiency of these technologies, and use them. Don't do it 'cause you're an environmentalist or conservationist or because you support green or clean energy. Do it 'cause you are a pragmatist and are proactive enough to not get disorganized by load shedding or power rationing or by the rising prices of electricity and petrol. Do it because you want to remain in control of key conveniences in your life.

2. Prepare for the court case. Since we cannot stop the oil spill, the next best thing to do would be to prepare for the court case(s) that will seek compensation for damage caused by a gushing fountain of oil in this region. Preparation would include the following:
• Paying very close attention to and understanding the actions of the parties involved both in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill*, as well as in the other oil spill in the Red Sea.
• Understanding how compensation for those who have lost their means of livelihood is determined, and understand the strategies employed by BP and other energy mining corporate companies to limit their liability in the event of such catastrophes.
• There are already tsunami warning centers and networks in place, as are those pertaining to awareness and response to red tides and large-scale marine die-offs. My suggestion is that all the networks currently in place integrate into their programs the methods of responding to unstoppable deepwater oil wells.
• Marine and coastal environmental monitoring programs have done a sterling job in tracking the state of the marine environment and they should ensure their data can stand up to scrutiny in an international court of law.
• Those working with artisanal fisheries should streamline their databases and value chain studies of who benefits from these fisheries so that should they be impacted, those affected can be compensated.
• Those who have been hard at work on developing national oil spill plans should meet just a few more times to ensure that the danger of a Gulf oil spill* in the Western Indian Ocean is reflected and addressed by the national plans.
• A case that could inform the preparation for future cases would be the 1992 Katina P oil spill into Maputo Bay .

3. Crowdsourcing for preemptive and reactive solutions to oil spills of any magnitude within the region . Yes it is government's mandate to plan and respond to oil spills and they are doing the best they can. It is, however, important to have those who would be most affected working on possible solutions as well. From the social and community pressure perspective, since it appears that boycotts and activism are no longer effective tools in seeking justice for affected parties, perhaps newer and more effective methods of activism can be developed that take into consideration the diabolical cleverness of corporate PR and legal departments. Experts working in the region on fisheries, ocean currents, monsoon winds, and cyclones can start to model possible effects of combination of currents and seasonal weather shifts, so we can have an idea of which coasts would be most affected. That way we can have an idea of how many oil booms to start procuring, and whether chemical dispersants would be useful to limit environmental damage.

4. Live! Enjoy the great seafood, white/pink sand and clean blue waters. Take every opportunity to visit, enjoy and appreciate the coastal and marine environments. Visit sooner the places you had marked on your list of "things to do some time", because time might just run out. I know it ran out on me and my date with Margaritavilla.