The Gulf of Mexico spill has been permanently sealed, but each day brings new reports of missteps and error. As we try to sort out how this disaster occurred, we are reminded of the short- and long-term devastation it caused.

Needless to say, this oil spill will be written about in text and history books for generations to come. Experts and commentators will dissect every minute detail of the incident: what went wrong, why did it happen, could anything have prevented it?

Today, the economic, material and environmental impacts of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are simply incalculable -- it has cost us lives and livelihood.  Further, it leaves economic and environmental repercussions that we will struggle to cope with for decades to come.

Our thoughts are with those affected by the tragedy. It is, at least, encouraging to note that the Obama Administration seems now to be properly focused on the disaster and has taken substantive measures to hasten the clean-up and provide federal funding for those affected.

These are difficult times. But as clichéd as it may sound, we cannot let an event of this magnitude be forgotten.

It is -- and needs to remain -- a trigger to focus our attention on the bigger picture. In other words, we need to consider what can be salvaged from what is probably the most significant such incident in a generation. Is this not now the time to put political differences to one side and have a grown up conversation about our energy demands and how we meet those for today, tomorrow, and future generations?

It is helpful to remind ourselves of the facts:

The U.S. consumed 25 percent of the world's total energy use in 2006 -- with annual per-capita consumption at 334.6 million BTU, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That contrasts with 178.7 million BTUs per capita in Japan, 177.5 million BTUs in Germany, and in India, just 15.9 million BTUs, according to the EIA. The majority of the U.S. consumption in 2006 was provided by traditional sources, like petroleum that accounted for 40 percent and natural gas and coal for 23 percent each. The newer energy sources, such as nuclear, accounted for 8 percent and renewables, like wind and solar, provided only about 7 percent. In 2009, those percentages hadn't changed much.

Energy security remains the top priority, and -- among other things -- that means reducing (quickly and sustainably) our dependence on foreign oil. But we also need to create green collar jobs and take into account climate change.

America needs a more diversified energy portfolio.