I found this picture, clearly taken above the Alberta Tar Sands, posted on Google+
and the comments below it talked about GREED and how GREED is destroying the planet and RESOURCE WAR’s. I tend to agree with the sentiment, but think we all have to be honest about this picture.
The GREED isn’t just about those grubby OIL COMPANIES who want to make a buck off the fuel they sell us. They wouldn’t be selling fuel if we didn’t demand fuel.
Think about how comfortable your life is thanks to fossil fuels. At the other end of that environmental mess in this picture is – you – me – all of us.
I look out the window and see cars driving by, the owners probably oblivious to the fact they can drive that car because of environmental catastrophe’s perpetrated in places all over the world.
I’ve done a lot to minimize my personal fossil fuel consumption – I drive an electric car, live in a small house, and minimize my energy consumption. The electricity powering my car comes from burning natural gas, primarily (in California). The heat in the house, and in the stove, and for the water, is all done with natural gas. The keyboard I type this on is made from plastic – plastics primarily are made from fossil fuels. The list of products goes on and on and on that are derived from fossil fuels.
Any real effort to end fossil fuel use has to be accompanied with reducing the demand for fossil fuels and other oil/natural gas/coal byproducts.
We individually can vote with each expenditure we make – do we minimize our personal fossil fuel consumption, or do we party on like it’s 1999? Likewise our governments can put their pocketbook towards minimizing fossil fuel consumption, or can keep on with business as usual.
Earlier today I wrote a news article about an anti-fracking protest in Sacramento on Saturday March 15. It’s cool that thousands of people took to the streets to voice their opinion. But, most of them drove to the protest in fossil fuel powered cars or buses (apparently organizers rented lots of buses). I wasn’t there but all the discussion of what was said focused on the problems of fossil fuels and fracking, and not on the mechanism tying it back to fossil fuel consumption. Instead the organizers pointed their finger at Gov. Jerry Brown blaming him for having oil-friendly policies, and supporting fracking.
Until we individually and collectively keep on business as usual – then the usual result of business will be scenes like that shown above.
- Highway design could decrease death and injury risk, if “we” chose smarter designs - March 28, 2015
- GM really did trademark “range anxiety”, only later to abandon that mark - March 25, 2015
- US Government releases new regulations on hydraulic fracturing, that some call “toothless” - March 20, 2015
- Tesla Motors magic pill to solve range anxiety doesn’t quite instill range confidence - March 19, 2015
- Update on Galena IL oil train – 21 cars involved, which were the supposedly safer CP1232 design - March 7, 2015
- Another oil bomb train – why are they shipping crude oil by train? – Symptoms of fossil fuel addiction - March 6, 2015
- Chevron relinquishes fracking in Romania, as part of broader pull-out from Eastern European fracking operations - February 22, 2015
- Answer anti- electric car articles with truth and pride – truth outshines all distortions - February 19, 2015
- Apple taking big risk on developing a car? Please, Apple, don’t go there! - February 16, 2015
- Toyota, Nissan, Honda working on Japanese fuel cell infrastructure for Japanese government - February 12, 2015
