Let's play the blame game!
Americans are good at pointing fingers. For example, consider the current high gas prices.
We hear all of the following:
"It must be those evil oil companies."
"If only those damned environmentalists would let us drill in ANWR, this wouldn't be happening."
"Those environmentalists won't let us build more refineries!"
"The Republicans are in bed with 'Big Oil.'"
Heaven forbid that we actually take responsibility for our current energy predicament, and admit that our lifestyles have been built around cheap fossil fuels in a living arrangement that can't be maintained as oil and natural gas go into depletion. Sadly, as things start going to pot, many Americans will be in a state of denial, and will desperately cling to an obsolete way of life.
We hear all of the following:
"It must be those evil oil companies."
"If only those damned environmentalists would let us drill in ANWR, this wouldn't be happening."
"Those environmentalists won't let us build more refineries!"
"The Republicans are in bed with 'Big Oil.'"
Heaven forbid that we actually take responsibility for our current energy predicament, and admit that our lifestyles have been built around cheap fossil fuels in a living arrangement that can't be maintained as oil and natural gas go into depletion. Sadly, as things start going to pot, many Americans will be in a state of denial, and will desperately cling to an obsolete way of life.
Just a couple of points to be made here:
As Matt Savinar points out, ANWR only contains about 10 billion barrels of oil, or about the amount that the U.S. consumes in a little over a year. I always laugh when I hear people say that if we drilled in ANWR, we wouldn't have to import Saudi oil anymore. Yeah, keep dreaming.
And as for refineries, think about it this way. Why the hell would a company build an oil refinery when they know that worldwide oil production is going to go into decline? Talk about a bad investment.
posted by Utah Peaknik at 10:58 AM
2 Comments:
I hope you haven't given up already, peaknik. I would like to see a utah-specific peak oil conversation get started. Hopefully on subjects other than the Orrin Hatch fantasy that shale will make Utah the new Saudi Arabia. But even that needs talking about.
Oh, I'm still here alright. Even though trying to spread the word does get frustrating, especially when it seems like most people are clueless of what we're about to go through. I was talking with a couple of guys one day, and I brought up the subject of oil depletion. One of them said "Oh, there's like 400 years of that stuff left man." The other one said "Well, if it starts running out, I'll just ride a horse, and don't oil fields start filling up again after a while anyway?"
Yes google_peak_oil, we need to get the discussion going. Check out my post on Utah Planners' Corner.
I apologize for not posting anything for a while, but trust me, I have a lot of ideas.
Have you thought about what places in Utah would be the worst to live in as peak oil happens? I'm glad I don't call St. George home. Maybe the best place to live would be in some farming community in central Utah. Piute County maybe?
But will any "good" area be safe if everyone wants to live there because it's good?
Someone once said to me that "there's just too many damn people." The years ahead might prove him right. We'll see...
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