Albeit far too late, Peak Oil is starting to infiltrate wider audiences, starting with the most rational and science-focused. LiveScience posted an article today entitled Oil Production Could Peak Next Year which gives the specifics of Peak Oil in clear, if understated, language. From the article:
Global oil production will peak sometime between next year and 2018 and then decline, according to a controversial new model developed by a Swedish physicist.
Since 1956, when American geophysicist M. King Hubbert correctly predicted that U.S. oil reserves would hit a peak within 20 years, experts have debated when the same might occur globally. Some oil companies and consultancy firms such as Cambridge Energy Research Associates speculate that oil will peak sometime after 2020, but a number of oil geologists and executives predict it will happen much sooner.
And once production starts declining, there could be major supply problems, analysts say, especially when it comes to transportation—cars, aircraft, trains and boats are today without a ready alternative to petroleum-based liquid fuels.
Reaction to the latest prediction is as polarized as the debate has been on this issue for decades.
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Pretty much everything is
Pretty much everything is without a "ready" alternative. I believe this predominant skeptical attitude of the past 20 years is a sign of societal ego, the vast majority of people determined to have their consumption portrayed in this glorious light, as the American way, because they are too ashamed to admit how irrational their greed has led them to be. There's enormous waste in every facet of our existence, and just because it keeps us busy and others busy, we see it as progress. My friend reminded me today of that waste, in how debt is ruining his life and yet people blow more money on extravagances for a single thrill than could have him ecstatically back in financial freedom. Self-centered decisions are glorified, when in reality that just produces parasites of one another, not acknowledging the key role that cooperation plays in human success.
I prefer to pursue the maximum amount of enjoyment of life and society with the least amount of resources, time, and money consumed. Happiness is not a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I've never met anyone who found that gold. It's based on the gold you are born with and have proof that it produces it happiness, your love, and affirming that with each decision you make. There's a strong illusion preventing that realization.
Amen to that
What can I add? Happiness is best attained through completing a hard day's work, the results of which are right there in front of you to examine or to use at a time of need. Lately, I've been questioning a lot of the things that make people "happy" and asking (to myself) "but can you eat it?" In other words, "you've spent all that money on ______, but what is it going to do for you?"
Needless to say, the biggest luxury in our household is gourmet food. That's going to be a hard habit to break.
And that brings me full circle to what I intended to write originally. My husband had a chat with our mailman about biodiesel. Our mailman is a pretty cool guy and he knew a lot about the topic, but what he wasn't prepared for was my husband's comment about how biodiesel demand will affect the breadbasket regions of the country, and ultimately the cost of food. So, again, you can spend a lot of money on biodiesel to drive your car, but at the end of the day, what are you going to eat?
More reporting
I spotted this article in a couple other places that are a bit more mainstream: MSNBC and (believe it or not) Fox News.