Goal For The Green

It’s not just at the gas pump- the price of everything is skyrocketing.  Americans are hurting badly, while expecting our government to propose a plan of action NOW.  Seems all they can do is argue and not accomplish much.

On the Democratic side of politics, they have been recreating a measure in the House to punish price gougers. The bill is aimed at curbing oil market speculation (futures trading), which is a contributing factor for the price we pay at the pump. Republicans are calling for expanded offshore drilling, which is gaining popularity with rising oil prices and gas at $4+ a gallon.  However, energy experts and geologists have stated that it would take 5-10 years for ANY oil or natural gas to be produced even if the offshore drilling ban ended tomorrow.

So, when are we ever going to see a great reduction on our dependance on oil? The crazy prices of everything are having a huge impact on our already weakened economy. Energy and the Economy are the main issues of concern to the American public, in the race for the White House.

There have been many ideas on the sounding board recently in regards to the energy crisis. They include rethinking thoughts on Nuclear power, biofuels and renewables (solar and wind power) and ending the off-shore drilling ban. Off-shore drilling, clearly is not the answer.

Ever wonder what happened to the electric car, or other great inventions that could solve this problem? Electric cars have less parts, lower maintenance costs and — umm they use no GAS. What?-no profit anymore for the automotive and oil companies. What a shame that would be!  They already are controlling world governments and monopolizing most forms of transportation,making us dependent on the liquid gold.

Large international companies have for years bought out all the patent rights for inventions that work.  They work with other large companies to maximize THEIR profits. An example of this was the railroad monopolies of the late 1800’s.  They worked with each other, instead of competitively, raising rates without regard of the people. The main goal was to maximize THEIR profits. This resulted in the Sherman Anti Trust Laws, that were created to break up the railroad monopolies and bring the prices back under control.

I realize businesses are created to make profits, but governments are supposed to make living a fair and equitable life, a right of their citizens.  What happened to our government that use to work for the good of the people, with liberty and justice for all?  We use to be a free market society, where there was fair competition. Not so anymore…. not today.

Written in association with At Cost Energy

Tomorrow is officially Summer. But, here in the Puget Sound area, we got gypped out of Spring.  We can count on one hand, well maybe not quite two hands the few days that have come close to 70 degrees.

The truth is, it has been flat out cold.  In this month of June, Fairbanks ,Alaska has already had 10 days above 70. The “Icebox of our Nation,” International Falls, Minnesota has had four days top 70 degrees so far this month.  The mercury has been topping seventy in Oslo, Norway nearly every day recently.

Even Tomsk, Russia, in Siberia was warmer than Seattle on the 10th of June. They hit the 70’s in Siberia and we were still sporting our sweatshirts and hoodies at 55 degrees. The snow plows were back out on Snoqualmie Pass, clearing another 7 inches of snow, just last week. That’s happened only two times in the last 30 years. This has been a record year for snow in our mountains.

We are praying for a slow thaw, or we will be looking at terrible flooding like we had in December. It was the worst flooding here in over 100 years.

Perhaps we shouldn’t complain too loud, at least we don’t have to be looking for relief like they were on the East Coast last week, sweltering at more than 100 degrees in places. Not to mention, an early start to the fire season in California, in April, and an already record number of hurricanes, tornados and severe storms in the Midwest, doing billions of dollars of damage.

According to the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, which is a combined effort of more than a dozen government agencies, we can expect to see more severe and intense weather patterns ocurring. There will be more severe droughts, more disastorous (stormier) storms covering wider and more diverse places,plus more and deeper flooding as part of our changing climate.  Events that are rare to an area, can and will become commonplace. A rise from moderate to high sea surface water temperatures have been linked to increasing power and more hurricane activity.  Last season there were approximately 900 hundred hurricanes, this year they are expecting at least 1800 to pass through the Midwest.  The season started in April, and as evedent by the damage so far, has been relentless.

CO2 emissions have caused the global average temperature to rise 15-60 times faster than the natural historic rate. Our Earth’s climate system is changing more rapidly than some species are able to adapt.  These changes are already affecting more than half of Earth’s wild species.  More than 16% of all coral reefs have become damaged, or even died because of high sea water temperatures. Coral reefs may even become extinct in this century, if we don’t concentrate on controlling and stabelising CO2 emissions.  There is no time to waste on this issue.  It affects all life, even our own.

With oil now in excess of $135 a barrel, there seems little likelihood of any kind of quick turnaround. In fact, it appears we may as well get use to it.  After all, many European countries, Ireland and the UK have been seeing prices of $8-$10 a gallon for awhile now. So, by the 4th of July, it will will be $5 a gallon, and by Labor day $6, with no end in sight.

By doing the basic math, we have much to complain about. Yes, oil prices are high, however, paying for gas is still the cheapest cost of operating a car. With the price of everything going up, we should be complaining more about the lack of purchasing power our money has. We want the Feds to “do something.” What good does it do to complain?  They are responsible for degrading our currency.  The dollar falls, oil prices go up and the politicians have a hay-day trying to deflect criticism. They clamor about the “windfall profits” the oil companies are making, but do nothing to decrease our dependency on foreign oil. Let’s face it the pain at the pump and in our wallets is bound to get a lot worse. 

Has public interest waned about the environmental movement?  Have worries about inflation, the high cost of energy, the war, and the general pace of global events, wiped out public concern about the environment?  I doubt it.  But those (the government) we want to take action – AREN’T.

How soon we forget the first Earth Day. It was April 22, 1970. It became the awakening of the Environmental Decade.  We became concerned and aware about the deterorization and crucial issues that affect all life forms on our planet.  We took notice of our mindless disappation of our resources. We paid attention to our wasteful consumption habits, and how those habits affect the natural environment.

Our oil consumption was high in the 70’s. Our own U.S. oil production declined and by 1973 -36% of our energy consumption was in foreign oil. The OPEC cartel was the cause of the rising oil prices then, as it is now.  The Mideast Oil Crisis was the onset of the international oil embargo. It brought panic to our nation. The Mideast oil producing nations, cut off exports of petroleum to many Western Nations, including the U.S. and the Netherlands. They were angry over our involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflicts.

Then as it is now, there were high consumption levels and panic stricken people.  Oil prices skyrocketed to what would equal about $2.80 a gallon today. There were lines at gas stations. People blamed the government, the gas companies, the Arabs and the embargo.  It wasn’t even the price so much. The people were willing to pay the price, but there was an actual “shortage.” Gas stations would run out of gas to pump. Some even went out of business.  The oil embargo lasted six months and was over in March of 1974.  Project Independence was created in hope of freeing the U.S. completely from our dependence on foreign oil by 1980.

For years we have been aware of alternative energy sources.  Still today, we are more dependant on foreign oil than we were in the 70’s.  The oil shortage and embargo of 1973, created an growing awareness, that changed our views on energy useage.  It led people to choose economical solutions and make wiser personal choices about their energy consumption. It became popular to use less fossil- fuel, and pay more attention to how much we consumed.  The difference is today, we have no choice. We are being forced to make changes.