Number 9, June 2006 New Solutions Community, a solution for saving the environment and conserving resources with equity for all. Salting the Earth The Bible tells stories of “salting the earth,” a tactic used by people who hated their enemies so much that they destroyed the enemy’s future by cutting down food-bearing trees and sowing salt onto farm fields so crops could no longer grow. It was an early version of genocide. Today we have such greed that we are similarly destroying our own children’s future, not that of an enemy, by our massive use of limited fossil fuel resources. Our scientists and engineers, who have brought us to this point with the best of intentions, don’t propose cutting back our use but rather spur us on to find new ways to consume more. The Monstrous Dilemma could over-use potentially renewable We find ourselves in a desperate situa- resources like fisheries and forests and tion succinctly described by Professor Ian groundwater. And we could disrupt the Lowe:1 “Parents in today’s western societies global climate. are cheating their children by funding their “In the social dimension we could own lifestyles from the future,” says Ian widen inequality between rich and poor, Lowe, emeritus professor and formerly ensuring that the future is less socially head of the School of Science at Brisbane’s stable. And we could replace traditional Griffith University and president of the spirituality by promoting materialism. Australian Conservation Foundation. “A visitor from another galaxy would The depletion of our petroleum supplies, In a powerful presentation to an see these strategies as deliberate, would see that we were intelligent and would assume primarily for use of our private cars, will lead international audience at the Global Mind, that for some reason we wanted to destroy to fundamental changes in our society. Global Soul, Global Action conference at Tamkang University in Taiwan, Professor life on Earth.” Lowe emphasized that the future is not Professor Lowe notes that there have The Private Car only ever been three models of change somewhere we are going, but something There are many aspects to modern life and over time in a species population. These we are creating. “There are many possible its commitment to consumption but are: (1) increase population over time futures. We should be trying to establish undoubtedly one of the most destructive until it naturally comes into balance and a future that can be sustained, even if not aspects is the private automobile. Yet remains in balance; (2) increase popula- for the four to five million years that the the automobile is touted as one of the tion and exceed the sustainable level, earth is expected to last. Not doing that is most attractive benefits of modern life. collapse, increase again, etc., or (3) grossly selling short our children by funding our It is often said the car industry “keeps exceed the resources and collapse. He lists lifestyles from the future.” our economy going.” Charles E. Wilson some of the problems with population Professor Lowe then describes how one (while president of General Motors) made expansion and then discusses oil: might go about destroying a planet, by the famous and much quoted statement “Our most crucial resource is petro- destroying its future. “What’s good for the country is good for leum. Production will decline, price will “How could we do it? We could start General Motors, and vice versa.” increase, we will have to make fundamen- with exponential population growth. The car is more than a mode of trans- tally different decisions about personal Then we could increase the rate of portation – it defines our infrastructure, consumption per person. We could base transport and the provision of food, which our homes and our communities. The our economy on consumption, stimulat- are currently predicated on the presump- car’s definition of our physical communi- ing consumption that is not necessary. In tion of cheap transport.” ties has destroyed our social communities. fact, we could stimulate consumption by Professor Lowe then gives his estimate The car supposedly represents freedom appealing to the seven deadly sins. of peak oil production as 2009 and his and independence. But this freedom is “Then we could deplete significant estimate of peak natural gas production mostly a freedom from responsibility to mineral resources, starting with oil. We as 2040. other people. The private car may be the PAGE 2 : NEW SOLUTIONS JUNE 2006, NUMBER 9 greatest alienation device between humans that has ever existed. Figure 1: U.S. Energy Use by Transportation Mode, 2002 There are many who have pointed this out, but James Kunstler stands forth as one of the primary spokespersons. His 1994 book The Geography of Nowhere succinctly describes the results of a 100-year “love affair” with the automobile. Love affairs, exciting though they may be, tend to destroy fidelity and the fidelity and integ- rity of our communities is almost gone. The private automobile has led to this painful situation. In 1970 the U.S. made a fundamental choice – to ignore peak oil. It was in that year that geologist King Hubbert’s thesis was confirmed by the peaking of U.S. oil production. World oil discovery had already peaked in 1965 so the government and oil industry had been forewarned. But no policies were changed, and since 1970 If we seriously want to cut our consumption of fossil fuels, car and light truck use is the place country after country has reached its peak to start. of oil production. Though we may learn that world conventional oil peaked in late Simply put, we are in a situation where we beliefs about energy. The main false belief 2005, as suggested by Ken Deffeyes, we have used up our oil to drive cars so now is that of perpetual unlimited energy. Like are getting no more constructive reaction we need the oil of other peoples in other Jefferson, we are not being deliberately evil than occurred in 1970. Fantasy projects lands. And we will take it if we have to. but can’t envision an alternative way. like the hydrogen car will continue to Americans are willing to attack and kill In the past we had religious and scien- obscure and distract our attention so as other peoples to maintain their motoring tific theories to justify the exploitation of to avoid taking real action. This 35-year lifestyle. The private car has cost us our African-Americans. Today we have theo- delay will cost us dearly. communities. Now it is taking our souls. ries to justify our current consumptive and ...we have used up our oil to drive cars destructive way of living. One such theory is the doctrine of substitution in neoclas- so now we need the oil of other peoples Ignorance and Evil sical economics. According to this theory, in other lands. In western Christianity, evil comes from some force (an actual or mythical devil) the “market” will find a substitute for oil. It only needs rising prices to signal the Americans are often quoted as say- outside of us. In some eastern religions, market to invent a new technology. We are ing that they would die before letting evil is viewed as the result of ignorance. now jeopardizing the future of the human someone take away their car. There is There are many examples of this from his- race by the rationalization of an unproven no external threat to do that from some tory, slavery for example. Many otherwise economic theory with a questionable individual or agency, but it allows us to good people were unable to perceive the foundation and no basis in reality. Such avoid responsibility by creating an enemy evil of slavery because they were addicted is ignorance. who wants to take something away from to the luxuries that the practice afforded us. The truth of the matter is not that them. Thomas Jefferson, one of the Americans will die but that other people founders of our country, knew slavery was The Ignorance of Hydrogen are dying for Americans’ refusal to even wrong but was unable to free his slaves In 1970 the idea of the Hydrogen consider reducing car usage. – this otherwise intelligent man could not Economy was born. This was a theory that Americans would rather destroy the conceive of an alternate way of living. In a hydrogen could take the place of fossil environment and invade foreign lands similar way we are ignorant about energy fuels, allowing us to continue the growth than share a vehicle. Our government and are living a life as destructive as the economy. It seems appropriate that a is now approving preemptive strikes, one we once lived with institutionalized new idea would be proposed in the same including nuclear ones, against those who racism. And, in a similar way, people year that Hubbert’s theory was verified. 2 might threaten the American way of life. feel there is evidence to justify their false According to Jeremy Rifkin, the term was NUMBER 9, JUNE 2006 NEW SOLUTIONS : PAGE 3 first floated by General Motors in 1970. the Manhattan Project, that by the end makers, aiming to produce a prototype car Joseph Romm3 gives credit to Australian of this decade we will have developed the that was three times more fuel-efficient electrochemist John Bockris. Whoever potential to meet our own energy needs than conventional vehicles by 2004. The used the term first, it was in common without depending on any foreign energy Hydrogen Future Act of 1996 specified usage in the 1970s and beginning to be sources.” He proposed ending American funding levels for the hydrogen program addressed in government programs and reliance on foreign oil through a series of and specified the evaluation of integrating research labs.