After Oil: Powering the Future

[ramapo]

I just tore the wrapper off the new National Geographic and the lead story of the new issue is After Oil.

So far I've just glanced through it but it looks like an excellent article that focuses on solar, wind, nuclear and conservation.

One factoid really struck me as demonstrating how stupid and wasteful we are. The saddest thing is that this is nothing new: Replace one incandescent lightbulb with a compact flourescent lamp and you save a 500 pound of coal over the life of one bulb. Do the multiplicaton and see how much less coal could've been burned had there been just a smidgen of leadership in this country.

Another critical point made is the need for government to lead the way in developing and supporting early implementation, and in a big way, of new energy technology, just like the Internet. Another example of how a complete lack of leadership has put the United States in a terrible position.

I'm a longtime subscriber and this article highlights the excellent quality of this magazine.

[Strelnikov_]

1. Sounds Right On Point

What gives me hope is the conservation 'low hanging fruit' out there. With some marginal leadership, the crash does not need to be fatal.

Europe uses half the energy per capita we do, and seem to live fairly well.

[pstans]

2. I will have to go out and buy this

It is good to get Peak Oil out in the mainstream and give the avg American ways to conserve.

I went and bought incandescent lightbulbs for my house and my wife and her family gave me a hard time cause when you flip the switch it takes a second for the light to turn on. Now I can tell them all about the 500 lbs of coal I am saving.

[kestrel91316]

7. Hope you mean you bought FLUORESCENT bulbs

[FloridaPat]

3. I don't think it's lake of leadship. I think oil dependency is their plan.

Let's face it. Cheap energy means oil companies don't make much money which means the government looses a lot of money in bribes. Of course, MBNA and the drug companies could make up for the loss.

[wli]

4. as far as the future goes

It looks very, very dark. I'm scared out of my wits about what's going on in the government.

[brokensymmetry]

5. I may have to pick up a copy....

But you mention "Do the multiplicaton and see how much less coal could've been burned had there been just a smidgen of leadership in this country."

We had some leadership - his name was Jimmy Carter. He told us what needed to be done. And we all know how that turned out. Which is part of why I'm about as gloomy a pessimist as you'll find.

[ramapo]

6. Carter was the last President with any courage

The trashing of Carter was imho the turning point for our society. It was especially appalling that Democrats led the way, weakening Carter so as to help make him easier pickings in the 1980 election.

Carter laid out what needed to be done but as you know he was dismissed as a "nattering nabob of negativism" (my favorite Agnew quote) in favor of "Morning in America". Not many days go by without me wondering how different things might be had the country taken Carter seriously.

"Morning in America" was nothing more than the start of the sanctioned delusions that there is a free lunch as long as you reduce taxes to pay for it and there are never-ending resources put here for our eternal use.

[NNadir]

8. The coverage of energy issues in National Geographic has been excellent.

[pstans]

9. My in-laws subsribe and I just read it there

The article was very informative, but I have 1 problem. The 2nd page of the article is a picture of a Nuclear power plant in California that closed and they have solar panels set up on the land now. The caption said, "When oil peaks in the next couple decades..." Yeah right. You mean in the next couple years. Peak Oil will hit by 2010 according to most all geologists that study this. It is this information that needs to get out to the mainstream. Not this super technology is being developed to save our asses.