Bartlett speaks about the many issues around "peak oil", and the need to change the US culture-- get off the grid, out of debt, and into alternative energy and focus on conservation and efficiency NOW.
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US Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (Rep, Maryland), was interviewed by Dave Room of the Postcarbon Institute. Bartlett, a former teacher among other things, is the only person in Congress who speaks on peak oil and says that he's willing to repeat and repeat until Congress understands, which at the time of this interview almost no one did. He mentions that his assistant, Dr. John Darnell, is also a scientist and very well informed about peak oil. He suggests to call your Congressman and ask about "peak oil" so they will know of our concern. Bartlett's impetus to speak has been his long concern for the prediction of MK Hubbard that the US would peak in oil in 1976, and Hubbard was correct. He predicted that world oil would peak in 2000 and the fact is that oil is probably peaking right now. It is obviously a limited resource and is diminishing. It's made even worse because the demand for oil is growing along with the diminishing supply. When that larger need (China is biggest demand), along with less oil availability coincide (and it's beginning) it can lead to major issues of war and economic breakdown. Natural gas will be exhausted at about the same time as oil. Since our whole food system-- growing and delivery (average food on our plates travels 1500 miles)-- and society rest on the use of these fossil fuels it's in the interest of the United States to take these realities into consideration in planning to lessen the pain and suffering the reality of declining oil will bring. Bartlett says that we should have started 25 years ago to develop other methods of creating energy and already, with less time, it's getting more challenging to develop alternative energy at a fast enough rate. to make the difference we need. The US uses 25% of all the world's oil-- even more reason to be a leader in cutting back our use and changing the deeply engrained oil dependence of our society. Europe uses half as much energy as the US. He suggests that we should grow our own food locally. Also, just the change of having two people in a car rather than one would make a huge difference in oil use. Coal is not an answer since it is also limited. We need a new yardstick by which to judge success other than how much energy we use. We need to change the US culture-- get off the grid, out of debt, and into alternative energy and focus on conservation and efficiency NOW. Link: http://www.bartlett.house.gov/biography.asp, http://www.postcarbon.org
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