Sunday, Dec 14, 2008
When the oil & money runs out
powerofcommunity.org: ...the best "short history of Peak Oil" that I have seen anywhere!
Not seen this film but it looks intriguing. Off-topic but makes you wonder why we worry so much about a recession. "In the early 1990's Cuba experienced a sudden and dramatic loss of petroleum and trade... What happened? People would have starved were it not for quick action by the government to ration food (calorie amounts were established based on United Nations research). The government encouraged food to be planted anywhere there was vacant land. Havana now produces over 50% of their food from within the city. Less densely populated towns are producing from 80-100% of their own food. Since chemical fertilizers were no longer used, Cuba sought guidance from organic farming experts from Australia.. People are much healthier now from all of the walking and biking that is now the norm."
4 Comments
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1. japanese uncle said...
Whatever the American government says, Fidel Castro has been a great statesman, and most importantly a beloved leader. Without the strong support by the grass roots, he could not possibly have survived countless assassination plots by the CIA. Cuba is a much better place than the US for ordinary citizen who value free healthcare and education rather than hedonic lifestyle. Growing veg in the back garden is actually practiced by one of my ex-colleagues in Japan saving his family a fortune, let alone the risk of contamination by pesticide or GM.
2. Eternal Sceptic said...
Peak oil would seem to be a concept that all politicians are in a total denial of. I do not know if they are scared to deal with it, do not believe it, or just hope the problem will go away. The demand destruction that has dropped the price of oil recently is only a temporary aberration.Depending on what you believe, peak oil is a reality that has just passed, will occur shortly, or will occur in another 20 years.
Irregardless of viewpoint, it is a finite fossil resource that is being depleted, with no viable alternartive available. As yet renewables and nuclear power do not make fuel, medicine and fertilizers, and running vehicles on biofuels results in starvation in the third world.
There was a dry run in the 70's, in a period of extremely high oil prices where alternatives were researched by the freaky fringe. This research never went mainstream and the opportunity was largely squandered. I can see an economic argument for bailing out car industries, but a wadge of money that size could do a lot of useful research into alternatives. Maybe the car industry should start making everyone a 5 kilowatt wind turbine, and start producing high capacity, cheap deep cycle batteries. A window of opportunity in the middle of a howling depression is a pretty poor time to start, but it may be the only sensible time frame on offer.
3. goweresque said...
@JU: tell that to the poor buggers trying to get to Florida on an inner tube! If its such a socialist paradise why do so many want to leave, and why aren't they allowed to leave? Oh I forgot, its run by a communist dictator who locks up (or worse) anyone who disagrees with him!
4. japanese uncle said...
goweresque
It may not be long before the Americans will be on an inner tube to get to Havana.