Ladies and gentleman, please let me introduce Mr. George Bush with the understatement of the year, possibly of the decade (in reference to energy conservation, from www.nytimes.com):
“We can all pitch in,” Mr. Bush said. “People just need to recognize that the storms have caused disruption,” he added, and that if Americans are able to avoid going “on a trip that’s not essential, that would be helpful.”
Yep. He finally said it: Americans must [gasp] CONSUME LESS! That’s an admission of defeat if I’ve ever heard one. The endless cycle of consumption has been recognized as untenable by the very culture that has tirelessly promoted fiscal and energy irresponsibility. Another of the supreme irony of politics: the “Conservatives” are those that are so reckless and cavalier with money and natural resources.
Does this mean that the U.S. is gearing up for a radical transformation of its’ energy economy? I’m not holding my breath. Aside from this story not getting the coverage it deserves as a watershed moment in U.S. energy policy and perception, so far the only advice the White House has offered to help citizens reduce oil consumption is to “take the bus.”
The coming energy crisis will affect a lot more than just our transportation. Unless sweeping changes are enacted across the board — in manufacturing, agriculture, distribution — along with monies allocated immediately for the development and implementation of alternative energy technologies, expect eventual widespread disruption in the availability of nearly all goods and services. One need only think of how reliant conventional agriculture is upon petroleum products to begin to see the far-reaching implications of the coming oil crisis.
Friends, I hate to sound like an alarmist, but the age of cheap energy is drawing to a close. To avoid heavy fallout from this transition, we had all better start doing more with less. From my perspective, this is nothing to fear. As an aesthetic, minimalism can be rather pleasing; as a lifestyle, rewarding. What I do fear is that we have no other choice but to embrace just that.
Filed under: The Future
