fossil fuels

yesterday i paid $30 for gas for the first time in my car's history (it has a 15.5 gallon tank). i've been saying that an interesting thought experiment is to try to think about whether and how your life would change if gas prices were above $5/gallon when you woke up tomorrow (with no likelihood of it decreasing soon). i've received a few interesting insights from friends in conversation - my younger brother said that our current president might get impeached (or at least that this would be the only scenario under which impeachment is possible); others think nothing would change except that people would complain more about gas prices, especially relative to recent prices - people would keep driving just as much and with just as poor of efficiency.

this is most likely because for many in the united states (who consume 15-20 times the resources of people in india/china), somehow the debate has been framed as a dilemma between safety (big, heavy, tough vehicles) and efficiency (little hybrids that will crush like tin cans if touched by large trucks). this is a false dilemma, and i am prepared to defend that view at anyone's request. put simply, small cars can be safe, larger vehicles can be more efficient, and the proliferation of larger vehicles just to protect oneself from larger vehicles - the logic of that makes sense, but it escapes me on the level that matters.

so why exactly do i think people should try to be much more environmentally friendly (and this is a strong much) when it comes to fossil fuel use (gas/oil/energy)? i think there are many reasons for better environmentally sound behavior that deals with global climate change (that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be warmer in minnesota and south dakota or wherever your favorite uncomfortably cold place is - and it certainly doesn't mean that it will be uniform on any time/space distribution - it might be seasonal, night-time, or have different climate extremes). some of these values might be self interested - life might get to be more difficult in the life times of someone my age, certainly anyone younger and probably most people who don't feel the end of their lives is fast approaching.

just as importantly though, i think that the baseline argument that should be getting much more attention from those who think technology is good and stuff. the point here should be just this: we are burning (for energy) the main substance that can be used to make plastics, something that we should care about (and by the way, we should also be more discriminating when it comes to choosing what to use plastics for - we waste a lot of potential plastics that could be used for future medical or other important uses rather than tons of coca-cola drinkers.

one book i read in children's literature a couple years ago was especially powerful on this point: the book is set in the future in africa, and there is a group of people there who are plastic miners - they collect plastic to reuse/recycle it - so they mine through mounds of old garbage (from our time). fortunately, once we use up a lot of the fossil fuels (by burning or turning them into plastic and then throwing them away), we can still mine the waste plastic. unfortunately, we can't do that with the co2 we've burned. and unfortunately the worse off of the world will end up doing the dirty work, as this always seems to happen. i do highly recommend reading this book - it's a quick and easy read - called the ear, the eye, and the arm by nancy farmer.

here are some quotes from the best scene in i heart huckabees (very funny movie, especially this part) - they definitely relate to fossil fuels and one way of convincing people to change their way of life.

Tommy: I'm no hero. We'd all be heroes if we stopped using petroleum!
. . . then a little while later:
Girl: Jesus is never mad at us if we live with Him in our hearts!
Tommy: I hate to break it to you, but He is - He most definitely is.


i really like this song's analysis of technology - it captures many concerns that people like eric katz have explored in the field of environmental ethics. the video for this song is also available to watch for free over itunes - if you go to the store and search for jack johnson, you can watch the video - i think it's really well done - quite simple, but good. it reminds me of the kind of sequences shown in koyaanaqatsi or baraka, but with very different music, and i think it fits. so at this point in the post, i've recommended a book, a song/music video, a movie, and a way of life change - not doing too bad, am i? sorry if i'm overbearing.

the horizon has been defeated by jack johnson

the horizon has been defeated
by the pirates of the new age
alien casinos
well maybe it's just time to say
things can go bad
and make you want to run away
but as we grow older
the troubles just seems to stay

future complications
in the strings between the cans
but no prints can come from fingers
if machines become our hands
and then our feet become the wheels
and then the wheels become the cars
and then the rigs begin to drill
until the drilling goes too far

things can go bad
and make you want to run away
but as we grow older
the horizon begins to fade away

thingamajigsaw puzzled
anger don't you step too close
because people are lonely and only
animals with fancy shoes
hallelujah zig zag nothing
misery it's on the loose
because people are lonely and only
animals with too many tools
that can build all the junk that we sell
sometimes it makes you want to yell

things can go bad
and make you want to run away
but as we grow older
the horizon begins to fade away
fade away, fade fade fade fade fade fade