Pump Dreams/Nightmares
In the October 11 edition of the New Yorker, John Cassidy asks “Is energy independence an impossible goal?” in his piece entitled “Pump Dreams.” Cassidy holds that:
There is another, more basic problem with Kerry’s [alterative energy] proposals. Switching to renewable energy wouldn’t reduce oil imports much, because most power stations don’t run on oil, which is largely used for road and air transport. Developing a transport fuel that can compete with oil is an enormous challenge. For this reason, among others, many
analysts regard the candidates’ endorsement of energy independence as a political diversion. [One recently said] “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about energy independence. We cannot produce our way to energy independence, and we cannot use efficiency or conservation to achieve energy independence. It’s just not going to happen, at least in my lifetime.” No one (other than Saudi Arabia) could argue against US “Energy Independence” as a desirable goal. But according to most energy experts, it is something we’re not even close to, neither technologically nor politically. The technologies of new energy and new efficiency technologies to make old energy last longer have a hell of a long way to go before they’re going to make a significant impact on the national level. And the political will, among the leadership and the mainstream citizenry, is simply not there. A situation not unlike the collective lack of will to deter and fight terrorism we harbored until 9-11. Even after the first Trade Center attack. Even after the attacks on our embassies in Africa and the U.S.S. Cole … still not quite enough to wake us up.
Not to overwork the analogy, but humans being humans, it would appear we’re going to need some real and serious shocks to the energy system before Joe SUV realized the threat to this lifestyle and makes enough noise for his congresswoman to listen.
posted by Andy Bochman at 10:12 AM
 
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