You know those times when you hear someone say something, or read something, and you say to youself - "that's just wrong"? Well, just a few days ago I heard something like that and it's been bugging me ever since, so I decided to put my thought here. Yes, just one thought. Sorry.
The comment that I heard was something to the effect "...the world's economy is based on oil ...". And I'm sure to many that is just taken for granted. But for some reason, this time I heard it and said "that's just wrong". It's another case of not seeing the forest for the trees.
In this case it is really simple. The trees represent oil, while the forest we should be concerned about is energy. The world's economy may seem to be based on oil, but that is only because oil is where we get our energy.
For me that speaks volumes. You can draw any conclusions you want - there's no other punchline in this message.
John Lennon wrote 'Imagine' - which suggested alternate realities. He didn't mention energy independence, but can you imagine what that would mean? It can and will change the world, if only we can make it happen. And I don't mean just for the USA, I mean for the world. It would certainly be one step in the direction of 'the best of all possible worlds'.
3 comments:
Very good. Very thoughtful. Me gusta mucho. And I agree. WLC.
Interesting. However. . .
To assert that we are not part of a global oil-dependent economy is, I believe, an incredible statement. Those known or unknown as the beneficiaries of oil, some names such as Rockefeller, Rothschild, Nobel (Nobel Prize), Armand Hammar conjure up uber-rich lifestyles, jet-setting, and politics.
Since the beginning of the 20th century the Western world has been dependent upon one major energy source: Oil. Later in the century, the rest of the world climbed aboard this oil train and we’ve kowtowed to its power over us. In England, at the beginning of World War I the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, realized the necessity (based on cost and efficiency) of powering the British naval fleet with oil versus coal. The U.S., around this same time period, started to view oil as a better power source than kerosene and natural gas, which were the resources used to light most cities and homes at that point in time. Even Edison believed oil to be a better source to power his new invention of electricity.
The world as we know it today is built around oil. Our transportation systems are dependent upon it and the majority of base-load power plants around the world utilize gas-fired generators (coal is also used). Although, I believe the U.S. dependence upon oil has and will continue undermine its own prosperity and security until we are no longer dependent upon it. The U.S. spends $70 billion or more on oil imports a year. The world’s energy needs are completely intertwined with the global economy and politics.
Oil underlies the global economy and is a commodity with strategic value. Oil has become a geopolitical weapon. OPEC controls 80% of the world’s oil resources and it definitely uses it for its own gain.
The U.S. society and economy depend on cheap and abundant energy for historical, cultural, geographic and demographic reasons. Administration after administration allows ideologically motivated, anti-growth, anti-energy elites to hinder and obstruct new development of energy and environmentally friendly policies and practices which would naturally benefit the U.S. economy. It’s not a stretch to realize that it is the oil elites in this country and others that are behind this. Talk about anti-democratic and anti-free market economy.
The geopolitical aspect of oil play a part in barring new energy sources from coming forward. Oil dependent countries do not want to antagonize the oil producing nations. We can look to Iran to see the reality of this. Iran continues to enrich uranium against the treaties it signed and to the ire of the West. The biggest threat to Iran is an oil embargo. However, the West was not willing to do this. Europe is especially dependent upon Iranian oil and an oil embargo would cause oil prices to skyrocket. This would be devastating to the world economy. (not that we’re not already there) Germany, England, France, the U.S. etc. are beholden to the oil producing nations.
Newly industrializing countries are finding themselves a cog on this geopolitical wheel. India imports upwards of $22 billion/year of natural gas from Iran. China, a few years ago, signed a 25 year deal with Iran worth $20 billion to import Iranian oil. Another reason the U.S. couldn’t get sanctions against Iran passed in the U.N. Security Council was China’s veto and our allies’ dependence upon Iranian oil.
Smaller countries are now able to wield power over the world that they never had before. China has had oil contracts with Sudan since 1995. Sudan’s oil exports earn more than $2 billion annually. Half of this goes to China.
The Western/world response to the genocide in Darfur can be traced to the geopolitical hold oil has. The U.S., through the security council of the U.N., attempted to pass strong economic sanctions against Sudan. Once again, China, seeing what it had to lose, threatened to veto that plan. As such, a very weak resolution passed.
Needless-to-say, part of the U.S. involvement in Iraq has to do with oil. Most every strategic move the U.S. makes has to do with oil and securing our supply of it. This is solely because our economy depends upon it.
As far as imagining is concerned, I like to imagine a major portion of the world’s energy source, especially for transportation, from biodiesel. That’s non-food source biodiesel, preferably algae; and solar power and wind power to electrify our homes, offices, plants and stores.
Hopefully, Obama will look beyond the short-term ($1.57/gallon gas) and make the necessary steps toward energy independence a reality.
Michele
Michele - I certainly agree with the things you have said here. And I even agree that at the present time the world's economy is oil based. My proposition is that oil is nothing more than the currency for energy, and therefore the economy is really based on energy. And my belief is that if we are finally allowed (by those in power - the oil barons if you will) to develop alternative sources of energy which will allow energy independence for all countries who want it, the world economy will swing to something else. What that something else is depends on demand. It could be trade, or food, or water, or even recycling.
The best thing that could happen for the world would be for humans to discover a way to create energy that doesn't pollute, is completely renewable, does not exhaust any resource.
The world could use quite a few good things happening to it, but this would be one of the most important.
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