Dramatic pictures from our Beijing office today showing what a dangerous substance dirty oil really is.

The pictures taken this morning show two firefighters trying to fix an underwater pump in Dalian Port, China. Four days ago, a pipeline blast at the port triggered an oil spill which is threatening coastal waters, ecosystems and livelihoods.

Our colleagues in China have since dispatched a rapid response team to help assess the destruction and see what can be done to prevent further damage.

The Dalian Port spill is yet another disaster resulting from our dependency on oil. The symptoms may appear in the Niger Delta, the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of Dalian, but the disease is the same: over-reliance on dirty fossil fuels.

It's high time we moved to cleaner, renewable energy and left this dirty fuel where it belongs - underground.