Peak Oil and the Global Climate Crisis

I went to a wonderfully thought-provoking seminar last night on Peak oil and the global climate crisis, sponsored by Post Carbon Institute and The Sierra Club as well as some other local organizations. The main focus was to demonstrate how the limited supply of oil will soon create astronomical prices in addition to the devastating environmental impact of such heavy reliance on fossil fuel.

The speaker, Daniel Lerch, proposed that the solution would require strengthening of our economy at a local level to produce an immediate reduction of our dependence on carbon based energy sources. He strongly recommended increasing our sense of community as not only an absolutely essential element of survival - but also the key to creating a nation that thrives in the coming years.

He spoke about other means including zero energy housing as well as alternative fuel sources such as solar, hydrogen, and biodiesel. And discussed the need to organize civil leadership to assist the governmental agencies in moving these initiatives forward.

But I thought he was missing something, so I asked a question: Are you saying that the transportation and supply chains are the major factor in both our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) production and our dependence on carbon-based fuel? He said that while he hadn't specifically researched the data, he believed so.

So then I asked, "Wouldn't a shift to All-Electric Vehicles massively reduce both our dependence on oil and our impact on the planet?" He said "Yes." There it is. That simple.

Now he did go on to say that it would be a large undertaking to convert the entire shipping infrastructure to electric power and he questioned the effectiveness of an all-electric engine to replace the diesel power used to haul tons of cargo in 18 wheelers, but I never said we had to make the shift all at once and from what I've seen, hauling power isn't a real concern - the electric engine technology should meet the demand.

Lerch's point of view is that there won't be one "silver bullet" that solves both of these issues. He believes it will take many "silver BBs" - in other words many different smaller initiatives that add up to a solution. But quite frankly, from what I see, the switch to electric power could take care of both issues. The only problem is the resistance from the oil companies and other corporations whose profits seem to be threatened by a shift in energy consumption.

Just like NYC's hybrid taxi plan, a gradual shift toward a zero emissions fleet of shipping vehicles over the next 3-5 years should allow companies the time to adjust. And that could easily extend to consumer vehicles as well. So then the next question is how do we get the manufacturers to begin producing afforable electric vehicles on a large scale? What do you think?

Check out "Who Killed The Electric Car", Plug In America and Post Carbon Cities