This seems like one of those “duh” movements. In my small little world I suppose I don’t realize that the general populace doesn’t already cotton to this. I mean, haven’t people been saying this for quite some time? Shit, one of my peeps works at Exxon/Mobil and he’s fully aware that sucking hydrocarbons from a finite supply underground is not a long term strategy (although his 401k is going through the roof on company stock - most profitable company in the world, etc.) So, what’s the plan stan? Since we’re aware that oil is going on a downswing, what’s the alternative, or is Peak Oil merely an awareness campaign?
I’ve trotted out “Peak Oil” with some folks recently in conversation and people are not as aware of the situation as you are unfortunately. For instance, I asked my father over diner tonight, he watches a couple of hours of CNN a day, it’s a luxury of the retired, and the issue is not on his radar. His first reaction was “Is that a company?” This has been true, I have found, with several educated people who follow current events. “Peak Oil” has been a good beginning to some conversations I’ve had recently so I think it’s a good talking point to frame a discussion about our oil dependence. Our culture is centered around “Cheap Oil” and when global supply can not meet global demand the U.S. life style will be severely transformed.
As for a plan, may I point you to Al Gore’s Energy Policy here on the designtrash.com blog. If the link isn’t working, it’s in the nav to your right, posted in October. This is a multifaceted plan that is a clear departure from ‘staying the course’.
As for the current plan under G.W. Bush he supports large subsidies to big oil, utilizing our military to go after the last of the cheap hydrocarbon fuels and supplying oil producers with military resources in order to stabilize their power. G.W. has also been kind to hydrogen power as a future substitute for oil.
Recently Bush appointed Lee Raymond, former CEO of ExxonMobile, to lead a group that will plan our future energy policy. You can check out some notes on his appointment along with some global warming issues on this blog at Articles: ExxonMobile, Bush Energy Policy and Global Warming
Even for an administration dedicated to putting industry lobbyists in charge of the very agencies they have devoted their careers to undermining (coal and oil lobbyist J. Stephen Griles as Deputy Secretary of the Interior is one of dozens of examples), President Bush has recently outdone himself. He has named Lee Raymond, the retired chief of ExxonMobil, to head a key study to help America chart a cleaner course for our energy needs. Raymond currently chairs the National Petroleum Council (NPC), one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington.
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman says the study will address the supply and demand of oil as well as “…assess the potential contribution of conservation, efficiency, alternative energy sources, and technology advances” and determine “the potential long term impact of alternative energies that are plentiful, affordable, reliable and transportable.”
Energy Department Under Secretary David Garman, added that the NPC is “well qualified to provide a balanced and informed perspective on strategies and action affecting the energy future for both the U.S. and for every country on earth.”
Environmentalists are outraged about the appointment of Lee Raymond. During his long tenure at ExxonMobil, the company spent $19 million on front groups designed to discredit the science on global warming. It also resisted funding clean energy alternatives and lobbied aggressively to drill in the Arctic Refuge.
Plus, check out the latest post called Powering Foreign Policy; The Role of Oil in Diplomacy and Conflict”. There is a plan at the tail end of that post too:
To date, U.S. policy makers have focused on the diversification of oil sources rather than the diversification of energy sources and on augmentation of oil supply rather than the management of oil demand. Resulting energy policies, therefore have been unable to decrease the influence of oil geopolitics in U.S. foreign and military policy considerations.
Fortunately, there are real alternatives to oil dependence and the pathologies it produces. To expedite the transition from oil dependence to energy independence, Congress must:
* Reject the National Energy Policy in favor of an energy policy that is innovative, comprehensive, and forward-looking in its focus on reducing America’s reliance on oil rather than increasing our access to it.
* Raise fuel efficiency standards for new cars and trucks. Current CAFE standards are outdated and fail to account for high-efficiency technologies already on the market, including hybrid and advanced diesel engines.
* Enact a series of fiscal policies that encourage research and development of sustainable transportation technologies, including support for alternative fuels like clean biomass and investment in long-term projects like the development of clean, renewable hydrogen fuel.
* Shift subsidies away from mature energy industries like oil and gas and instead provide incentives for energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy industries.
* Promote existing mass transit systems, making them affordable and convenient, and develop mass transit systems in areas currently under served by public transportation.
Soon I will be posting some writings by Joseph E. Stiglitz from his recent book Making Globalization Work. There you will find a blue print for a ‘Sustainable Future’, plus many other plans, concerning world trade. A post defining “Economic Sustainability” and the need to reform corporate incentives is coming very soon.
Last Saturday I went to a workshop called “Beyond Oil” and the key note speaker was Sonia Shah. I was really impressed by the way she handled the diverse questions during Q and A and found her presentation to be quite informative. One question asked was what new energy resource is going to replace the power of oil. Her answer: “That’s the $10 billion question right now.” Since oil is such a powerful fuel, there is a better chance of the world needing to get by on less energy in the future than finding an adequate replacement.
In Sonia Shah’s book Crude: The Story of Oil you will find a strong history about oil plus a current survey on a variety of alternative energy plans—there are several of them including the ‘strip mining’ of methane hydrates found on the depths of the ocean floor. Her commentary gives no kudos to the federal government nor big oil so it’s a bit unbalanced in that way. Yet, she is a reporter who contributes to The Nation and her style is heavy in factual data with some opinions thrown into the mix. I will hopefully get to making a short hand of that soon.
Oil accounts for 97% of transportation energy in the United States. With the depletion of oil more goods will come from local providers. Here are some plan items from ’PortlandPeakOil.com’:
* Ensure local food and water security
- Eat food grown locally
- Find out when crops are harvested locally and build menu’s around what is available
- learn to preserve or can
* Reduce your need for gas-powered transportation
- use public transportation, walk, bike
* Support your local economy
* Foster local manufacturing of essential goods
* Reduce personal debt
* Investigate low-energy, sustainable lifestyle strategies
- permaculture
- get your own solar panel
- research how other societies and peoples have dealt with resource scarcity
I do like this quote from Al Gore’s Energy Policy:
“My purpose is not to present a comprehensive and detailed blueprint - for that is a task for our democracy as a whole - but rather to try to shine some light on a pathway through this terra incognita that lies between where we are and where we need to go.”
No comments:
Post a Comment