Deadly stuff, A and I are. There is nothing that gets my blood boiling more than to see some consumer go insane and want to murder somebody just because the rest of us know we're headed for an energy crisis and instead turn around and say something like "I think I'll run my Hummer in the garage." First off, if you do that (assuming the garage door is closed), you'll die of carbon monoxide poisoning (which may not be such a bad thing, since apathetic and ignorant people are not worthy of living), and second, such a statement shows one really does not care about survival of any life in general and a complete lack of penitence or humility and gratefulness at the miracle we call life.
I mean, does ANYBODY take this issue seriously? Even if oil was an infinite energy source, such immaturity and irresponsibility in handling it is a clear sign maybe we shouldn't have any. But since oil is a finite resource, to "run the Hummer in the garage," is, well, you get it.
"....and someone needs to step up with a serious revamp plan. And all I know is i'm sick of paying $3.00 a gallon."
The fact that U.S citizens pay so little for gasoline is one of the reasons we, the entire world, are in this mess to begin with. Here in Australia we pay at least $4 USD a US gallon and in places like the U.K. or France etc they can pay in excess of $6 a gallon.
The thing that needs to be done by your government is to "step up" and raise the taxes on gas/petrol like most other western countries in the world have done for years. Why do you think most people in the U.K don't drive around in enormous SUV's, because they can't afford to that's why. If your government had raised taxes on fuel after the last oil shock years ago, like they should have, you guys would be driving small economical cars also. Like the U.K. very small economical diesel cars would be popular, hybrids would be everywhere people would have been screaming for more cars like GM's EV1. And all the car manufactures would be falling over themselves to produce economical cars, because that is what the people would have wanted. Empowered oil producing nations would have much less power and wealth and the U.S wouldn't be so reliant on foreign oil.
The U.S has approximately 4% of the world's population and uses almost 25% of the worlds oil. If we, the world, are going to have any chance at all of getting out of the mess then you Americans have simply got to start using less of the damn stuff.
The fact that U.S citizens pay so little for gasoline is one of the reasons we, the entire world, are in this mess to begin with.
The fact that the US paid so little for gasoline is THE reason why Western Civilization has experienced such unprecedented prosperity in the past 50+ years. It's a Catch-22. Our economy drove the world while at the same time suing up so much of the resources that kept it going.
--- A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence. - David Hume
I agree, its a double edged sword. Cheap oil paid for our defence during the cold war, it tripled living standards in the west in 50 years, it makes every plastic good and alloy possible. Normally I don't like to judge something before I see it, but I am fascinated by what this could mean in the long term for global civilisation. Was the last 200 years (coal, gas, oil) just a golden age that out children's children will never see the like of again? If that's true then we're headed for the next dark ages in pretty short order, and the thing I worry most about it healthcare. What happens when we lack the plentiful energy to produce an abundance of life-saving drugs, and production is limited to what dribs and drabs alternative energy can give us. If I get to old age this is a situation I could potentially face, or a situation my children could face. Then what? The worst-case scenario IS the dark ages, collapse of democracy, a kind of neo-feudalism that relies on "localism". Its happened before: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_of_the_Third_Century
Ok so thats the Roman Empire, but read the article through, before the ultimate military collapse came economic and social isolationism, the roots of feudalism were born and a massive mercantile global trading empire ceased to be.
While the US's current situation closely resembles that of the late Roman Empire, and the depletion of fossil fuels looks like it will wipe us out, I believe that if we act, we can spawn a golden age that will make future generations look at us as if we were in a Dark Age, and say, "The only good thing they did for us was this green revolution." The green revolution I'm talking about has nothing to do with farming. It has to do with sustainability. If we develop a society based on renewable resources and 100% sustainable practices, not only will we "save the planet," but we will help develop the 3rd world, spawn a new industrial revolution, and do wonders for the economy. If this sustainable life continued, future generations would be able to live more comfortable lives than we do with technology beyond our wildest dreams, and actually help the environment in the process.
~"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix~
If we don't change farming, we've done nothing at all.
None of the farms within 20 miles of where I live sell more than a pickup-truck worth of produce here. It all goes out to other nations to be packaged and processed.