Peak Oil – Calling Matt Simmons
I’m hoping that I can get Matthew Simmons to help me with the “peak oil” section of the book I’m writing on Renewable Energy. Though I’ve never met Matt personally, he’s a friend of numerous friends, and I have a good feeling that this will ultimately happen. And to stimulate discussion on the topic, I’ve begun writing posts on a variety of blogs in which the subject is discussed.
Here’s what I wrote on the distinguished R-Squared, in response to a heated discussion on Mr. Simmons’ credentials as a scientist:
I strain to understand the fascination for the fine points of this subject, i.e., exactly when the world experienced – or will experience – peak oil. Whether or not you agree with Matt Simmons’ analysis and conclusion (which I happen to, personally), I think you have to concede that CO2 levels of 385 ppm and climbing means taking an unacceptable risk with the future of our planet – in terms of both global climate change and ocean acidification. I’m less interested in the rhetoric surrounding peak oil — and more interested in beginning to create what I know will be a monumental effort to build legislation that establishes a level playing field for renewables, as I’ve written in numerous blogposts at 2GreenEnergy.com, e.g., this morning’s.
With experience in electric vehicles, engineering, military aircraft, invention development, and agriculture, I eventually found that it makes little difference what “monumental efforts” are begun, because we have evolved into a human culture of consumption. Consumption at any cost. It doesn’t matter to the person seeking funds for a new windmill project that those funds come from stolen laborer’s paychecks or death policies (insurance policies taken out by corporations on their own employees) or chemical companies. Everyone just wants to create their own little empire (green or otherwise) and come up with some kind of fame or fortune.
The problem isn’t “Them”, it’s us. We buy stuff. They profit when we buy stuff. The more they profit, the more they coerce us into buying more stuff, using our money (advertising is a tax-deductible business expense) to make us sicker and dumber every day.
Just say “no” and stay home, buy less, make things for yourself. Grow your own food, or at least some of it. If you want to really make a difference, stop trying and get everyone you know to stop trying. Better yet, just get them to stop. Period. Stop driving, stop turning on switches, stop buying.
The economy is a side effect of our living. We shouldn’t be trying to save it with ‘green’ technology. We should be trying to save ourselves without technology first. That means using conservation and frugality and self-sufficiency. It doesn’t mean recreating a consumptive lifestyle with windmills or solar power.