I happened to read Jan Lundberg’s (yes, that Lundebrg of the excellent oil price report) article “Peak Oil in a Nutshell” last night.Link:
In that article,Lundberg states flatly that everything we are going through is a manifestation of the decline of the oil based civilization that has sustained us and propelled the US into the preeminent position it holds.That is clearly true as evidence mounts that despite the enormous profitability of the oil business,huge corporations like Exxon or Mobil are making few investments in exploration or refining.The scramble now is to secure whatever confirmed sources that do exist and more importantly, to deny those sources to any potential challengers like China in the near future, a scenario that is contained in the PNAC document.
While Cheney and his so called Energy Task Force laid out the plans for the forcible grab of oil resources worldwide, Bush and his Rovian task force was busy setting the stage for the demonization of the Arabs/Muslims who, unfortunately, happened to be sitting on top of the biggest oil deposits in the known world.Given our history of killing anyone who stands in the way of our greed ( Native Americans, Latin Americans, Phillippines),it was natural for the U.S. to start the demonization process of the Arabs.In that noble task, two biggest groups, the religious fundamentalists and the Israeli supporters were recruited by the Bush gang.The convergence of the Bush Road Warriors and these two groups has led to the total abrogation of our Constitution,contemptuous dismissal of anyone who even questions the Maximum Leader and threats against any country that stands up to the hegemonic edicts from Washington.
Lundeberg’s prediction is that our crisis will get worse and no amount of price rises in petroleum will result in increased production except in the short term.He says that the end is near for our superpower status and whatever we do is an end stage game much as what was depicted in the excellent movie The Road Warriors starring (surprise!) Mel Gibson.The desperation, the cold blooded murders and savagery depicted in that movie for the dwindling stock of gasoline,may well come to pass soon.Iraq is just a harbinger of the Shape of Things To Come, a phrase coined by no less an authority than H.G. Wells himself.
Willingly or otherwise, Bush is presiding over the decline of the American Empire and no one is better suited temperamentally for that role.His callousness,utter disdain for any democratic processes and repetitious use of inanities make him the perfect candidate for the end times.
Good analysis of the decline of oil. However, you present end scenario as a far-gone conclusion. In my view, we need to find ways to empower ourselves to fight these bastards. What you present is an almost compliant acceptance of continuing Bush/neocon rule.
I do not accept the rule of Bush/neocons during the decline of the age of oil.In fact, as oil starts depleting, the Neocon agenda is going to come unraveled taking with it the rightwing.
As Lundberg points out in his article,the end of the oil era is a foregone conclusion.Eeven the alternatives such as solar, wind and nuclear will only be stop gap measures according to Lundberg.His view of the situation is very bleak.Coming from a man with his impeccable credentials, I have no choice but to take him at his word.
In doing so, in my view, you surrender your free will. You accept another’s version of the future, forgetting that each of us has an equal stake, and responsibility, to create that future.
May be so.Unless we all are willing to adopt a life style of our forefathers hundred or more years ago, we are going to need to look at what we face in the absence of hydrocarbons.
I am certain some sort of public transporation system has to emerge.So too must be a system of agriculture that does not require massive inputs of fertilizers, pesticides and the like.Many of the things we take for granted in our daily lives such as appliances, clothing etc. have to change.
These things may not all be bad.But no one can tell me it is not going to cause massive dislocations in our lives.
We need people like you to lead the way. Provide us with information. We all have our pet subjects, and help to inform each other on these subjects. How can we, in our daily lives, reduce the production of hydrocarbons? We need to empower each other and ourselves.