Where is our peak oil debate?
What I don't mean by "debate" is engaging in a he said/she said argument about whether global peak oil production will occur because it will. It is an actual physical, geological phenomenon; U.S. production peaked in the early 1970s. What I mean is, when will Greensboro and the rest of Guilford County engage in public discourse about how to best adapt to this ominous threat to our society? One can argue whether the outpacing of oil and natural gas supply by demand will lead to an unfaltering rise in prices because economic and geopolitical factors will likely cause the prices to become volatile. That presents its own problems. The trouble with American communities is their utter dependence on these fossil fuels for food, transportation, heating/cooling, electricity and economic growth.
Peak oil primers now abound on the Internet, with some oil analysts believing peak oil arrived in 2005 and others claiming we have a few decades left. Then the peak oil discussion breaks down into a few camps: the doom and gloomers who believe peak oil will kill the global economy and modern civilization, the optimists who believe technology will save the day, and the others in between.
If you want a crash course in peak oil, I would suggest checking out Energy Bulletin, which compiles articles, reports, speaches and other dialogue on peak oil and climate change from across the country on a daily basis. Good reads include U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett from Maryland (recent speech given in November) and the Hirsch Report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy. Even Matthew Simmons, an oil investor and advisor to the Bush Administration, believes America is in trouble.
Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) has a different view.
You will need several hours to digest all this. Take your time.
Eventually, however, residents and leaders here will need to address this. How vulnerable is North Carolina and Guilford County? How do we marry the concepts of climate change and peak oil and address them coherently and comprehensively?
The Post Carbon Institute has a list of cities that are already taking a stab at it. You need to scroll down the page to see the list. The population of the cities involved range from about 2,500 to 744,000 people and up, so Greensboro/Guilford County has no excuse.
Comments (3)
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I absolutely agree. We do need to begin talking about the future. Changes need to be made by individuals and just as importantly, by industries. But we don't have to reinvent the wheel. Many solutions are already available and working. All we need to do is decide what will work best for us and go ahead and do it!
The UNCG sustainability committee is hosting Megan Quinn from The Community Solution (http://www.communitysolution.org/) next month as part of our film series. The Community Solution works to provide answers to peak oil and its effects. We'd love to have you attend the film, "The Power of Community," on February 21st. Megan will also be speaking at various events in town that week as well. Information will be forthcoming and can be found on our website (sustain.uncg.edu).
Posted on January 23, 2008 8:47 AM
Thanks Deetra. I actually saw Power of Community last year but wouldn't mind seeing it again to meet Ms. Quinn and folks from the sustainability committee. The film is a nice balance to End of Suburbia, which focuses on the crisis that America will soon face. The Power of Community shows what solutions can come out of it. I'll add the Web sites you mentioned to my blogroll and announce the film date if you don't mind. I assume this is open to the public.
Posted on January 23, 2008 10:30 AM
Thanks for posting the film dates! Hope to meet you next month.
deetra
Posted on January 28, 2008 11:36 AM