02-25-2011, 09:12 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,693
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JCL
My comments were rather glib, but I wasn't suggesting that prices should be raised just for the sake of it. I don't think that the future is oil either. I think that waiting until that date to start to take action is a huge problem. North American economies will have incredible pain through the adjustments that will be required when the age of cheap oil eventually ends. This is fundamentally a risk mitigation issue.
That mitigation should be multi-faceted, but could include things like requiring much higher fleet average fuel efficiencies, accelerating the shift away from traditional internal-combustion engines and developing alternative vehicle power sources, shifting city planning priorities to support urban development that integrates with public transit, and so on.
All this will cost money. The funding for that should come from current users of cheap oil, on the principle that some pain now will reduce the much greater pain that is coming later.
Continuing to consume ever more cheap oil in the coming years, and delaying taking action, will be disastrous. I don't think it is about increasing production, it is about developing alternatives, and influencing demand more than supply.
Yes, leadership will be required. I hope those in power can demonstrate it.
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I generally agree with your points. I'm still not a fan of increasing taxes for this purpose however.
What I've been thinking about and would advocate for is alignment between research at a national level in the private sector and within the university community (like what was done in the mid 20th century in the US), the capital investment community including venture capital and the Federal/State Gov'ts with tax INCENTIVES promoting investment.
If alignment between these groups were to happen, a focused effort of pure, applied, and theoretical science could produce advancements in conjunction with capitalism. The Gov't could provide a certain framework supporting the end result and encourages big oil companies and the distribution end of oil to develop new business models that gave them an incentive to become part of the solution vs. the problem.
Alternative energy opportunities abound but are not yet either ready for prime time or the national infrastructure including distribution has too many big obstacles to become a reality before the ultimate crisis based tipping point.
I'm not describing utopia since it has been done before, Bell Labs as an example of science, investment and commercialization. The WWII domestic effort etc.
Now this also takes leadership. Something that seems to be lacking.
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