Oil…Our BIGGEST Crisis

(Everyone should see this 5 part “Discovery Channel” program on “Addicted to Oil”)

Just when some of us thought we knew what our country’s biggest crisis were…Jihad, terrorism, the Iraq war killing our young soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis, global warming, or the collapse of our currency and economy…I’m here to tell you those are nothing compared to the issue of oil and sustainable energy sources. The oil issue is the “pink elephant” in the room of what’s really ailing the world. It is also conceivably the root of most of these other crisis previously mentioned.

Oil…is just a commodity, right? Yet, like most commodities, it can be used for good or for evil. It can be used in healthy ways, or un-healthy. Right now our world is running primarily on engines based on gas-combustion. It has been the fuel of our industrial era that has brought the first world its success, growth and wealth. On the other hand, it has also caused huge pollution issues and emissions of gas that brings us…tah-dah…global warming…which in my opinion also brings us the recent historic devastations via tornados, cyclones, hurricanes, melting of the ice caps, and yes, the quick extinction of Polar Bears. At the core of all this is our world’s consumption of oil and gas.

During the brief evolution of this industrial and energy consuming age, we have become blinded by our consumption, greed and personal comforts to the costs…and quick ultimate demise in supply…of this energy we are running on. We are “running on empty” both economically and morally in our pursuit of our addiction to consumerism…which is fueled by OIL.

The economics of this crisis are out of control as well. Our country is already by any traditional accounting practices broke, busted, bankrupt. What money we have budgeted for our energy needs are going into current infrastructure for…oil. Pipelines, transportation, refining, storage and distribution in addition to SOME exploration for new oil supplies are where our investments on a macro basis are going. That leaves no realistic government monies for exploring energy alternatives. And arguably, the huge oil industry funding of our political leaders doesn’t induce much passion for solving this energy crisis either.

China and India are just STARTING to consume their share of oil. The USA has been consuming 25% of the world’s total supply, but that quickly is a changing dynamic. This factor alone will quickly use up all fossil fuel supplies worldwide in much shorter order; continue driving up the prices per gallon of gas, and drive up inflation on everything including food and shelter out of the reach of the poor. At what point will the poor rise up and turn the world upside down with revolts and anarchy in response to their inability to eat or survive?

I am actually convinced that soon we will be forced, and when forced successful, at finding alternative sources of energy to run our cars, cool/heat our homes, and light our cities and streets. As Jim Pinto, an alternative energy expert, says…

”America already has the technology needed to develop solar energy. For less than the cost of imported oil (if the cost of military involvement is included) the US can get 100% of its energy requirements from the power released by sunlight radiating over the desert regions of the Southwest. American solar energy would be cheap, renewable and under our own control. To get to the practical stage, the initial hardware and infrastructure need to be publicly funded.
Electricity generated from America's solar energy can produce hydrogen gas by electrolysis of water, which can be used to power new hydrogen-fueled cars. Hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines have already been developed that will perform as well as existing gasoline engines, allowing the use of existing automobile technology for mass production.

Hydrogen is a clean universal fuel that can be used to power cars, trucks, planes, trains, buses, boats and ships. It can heat homes and commercial buildings, and generate electricity. It can replace all forms of fossil fuels. A nation that has converted all of its power systems to run on hydrogen will no longer be dependent on oil, because hydrogen can be made from many different sources of energy such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, fossil and nuclear.”

Developing these alternative energies would solve most ALL the other big problems our world faces. Gas emissions would be reduced with cleaner fuels which might correct much of our global warming and contamination issues. Our health would improve because we would be breathing cleaner air and eating/drinking less contaminated water and food products. We would have more money to invest in education, healthcare and new technologies to keep up with the worlds growing populations and their demands on our environment.

It is evident to me that if our business and political leaders had the fortitude and foresight to do so, they could make our country energy independent in relatively short order. The problem is they are all drunk on the profits and corruption of big oil producers. Until we stop the people at the very top of our political and corporate structures from profiting so much from OUR dependency on oil…we will continue to be victims and pawns of this dynamic, sending our money and tax revenues to our Arab enemies who continue to supply us with the fuel of our demise…oil. Meanwhile, those profits continue to buy them the weapons and knowledge of how to destroy us. And they continue building their cities and temples (like Dubai) from our hard earned dollars turned over to OPEC. Will we stop before we are destroyed?

As stated in the video above, this issue alone should unite environmentalists, investors, evangelicals, humanists, and all political parties to work together to get us off our “addiction to oil”. Otherwise, we may all end up speaking Arabic and bowing down to “Allah”.