[LMB] "Civilization isn't just electricity."

[Lois McMaster Bujold]

[LMB] "Civilization isn't just electricity."
Mandos Mitchinson mandos at allowed.to
Thu Feb 7 17:38:57 GMT 2008

 > That cheap oil running out is a crisis is an ILLUSION created
 > by people who make their money by buying and selling this
 > commodity.  I personally won't cry if the futures market in
 > petroleum collapses and some wall street traders have to find
 > something else to suck the blood out of to make obscene
 > amounts of money.

Most of what you said I agree with but not this bit. People often forget the
US was the leading producer of Oil worldwide until it's wells ran dry,
something people said would never happen. They hit the peak around 1970 and
now in the southern states there are thousands of rusting oil wells from
fields that have run dry.
It has also been noted that many countries have been overinflating their
reserves as there is some kind of ruling by OPEC I think that dictates how
much you can produce based on your reserves, so lots of countires inflate
the reserves to produce more barrels per day.
Add to that the fact that Canada is producing oil from the Oil Sands. It may
now be economically viable thanks to tech improvements and the price of oil
but they still wouldn't be bothering with it if Oil were still abundant and
easy to get hold of.

Mandos



*** The point, I think, isn't that oil, cheap or otherwise, isn't 
running out -- sooner or later it must, after all, if not necessarily to 
the projected schedules -- but that we shouldn't be using oil at all, at 
least not for anything that other renewable, non-polluting sources of 
energy may be used for.   Which certainly includes powering cars, which 
may after all be made electric.  Wind would seem to be doomed to be 
supplementary, solar only works in the daytime but then so is peak use.  
Neither are as developed as they could or should be.  I don't know 
offhand which has the better/more efficient physics, tho' I suspect 
solar.  Efficiency is always good.

I watched a PBS show on DVD the other night on solar showing what was 
being done in Germany, which was pretty impressive, especially the 
arrays of solar panels set up on the verges of the autobahn.  Wonderful 
dual use of already-public land, but I'm afraid it wouldn't work in the 
U.S. due to vandalism.  I mean, you've seen what happens to rural stop 
signs...  Fenced-off arrays in the desert southwest look more practical 
to me.

The thing I wonder is, why isn't more being done to bring more 
hydroelectric on line in the U.S.?  Talk about a proven system, and 
green as all get-out.  Geography?  Politics?  Does anyone know why this 
isn't being more promoted?

Ta, L.  (Who thinks civilization is indeed electricity, and tech in 
general.)