bp's deepwater horizon blowout that dumped more than 3 million barrels of oil into the gulf of mexico - and the exxon valdez spill - which devastated pince william sound. but for decades, the oil industry has been joining forces to prepare for the unthinkable in the arctic. one of the key questions? how will oil behave in ice? the industry's current work on that question is being done by the arctic response technology joint industry program. they did not respond to techknow's request for an interview, but this video is posted for public viewing on their website. >> ice can often be our friend. it can provide a condition for us where the ice acts like a boom or a barrier that will limit the spread of oil. >> the industry position on ice is consistent. according to this 2010 industry sponsored report "the presence of cold water and ice can enhance response effectiveness by limiting the spread of oil". but ice is not always your friend. andy mahoney is an ice researcher at the university of alaska, fairbanks. he says industry field research shows oil can get into ice. >> what we do know

not too long after that the deepwater horizon event took place. it was avoidable. but most conventional analyses did not include their safety culture, their environmental management. that is not just a feel-good add-on. it is central to the success or failure of a business like that. in other kinds of businesses, like financial services, human culture is central. and if you understand more about how they are managing their people, and spreading their values throughout the workforce you will learn more than simply looking at these quarterly reports. james: i make a joke about how you spend half your time on realities, half on technology, -- your time on climate realities, half on technology, half on generation, another half on something else. with what half of your time -- what do you anticipate doing on the sustainable capital? are you going to be an active public debater? mr. gore: absolutely. my cofounder and i have been writing a lot of op-ed's in the "wall street journal," "financial times," etc. and also in the trade press that serves the financial services in

. >> like the deepwater horizon took 87 days fix and this will take many more weeks past that mark. feet away to hit the well that's leaking 8,000 feet underground so they can pump in mud and cement. it's complicated and dangerous process. >> looking at the big black plume. it looks scary. how bad is the air quality now? >> well, amount of methane and climate change gas coming out of 0 the leak is undermining years of progress that california's been making to cut methane pollution. when you look at it because methane is 84 times that more potent during climb change of carbon dioxide on a short-time basis. putting out more pollution than all of california oil and gas sectors combined. >> the governor declared a state of emergency, and in that said they would conduct daily inspects of well heads, use all necessary state resources to ensure a thorough response to the leak and so-called gas should bear all related expenses from the leak. is enough being done, in your opinion. >> certainly this has been a state of emergency since day one and we probably should have had much more happenin