Tuesday, June 19, 2007

The Biggest Gas Guzzler in the World

I just read the most enlightening article by Michael T. Klare, professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College. He is also the author of Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum.

The article is entitled, The Pentagon v. Peak Oil, and reveals that the Pentagon (i.e., the US Military) is the biggest gas guzzler in the world. For example they consume more barrels of oil in ONE DAY than the entire country of Sweden consumes in ONE YEAR.

He also introduces a concept that I had not come across before "Peak Oil" which is the very real possibility that global oil production is at or near its maximum sustainable ("peak") output and will soon commence an irreversible decline. He says, "Some experts place it comfortably in the future – meaning two or three decades down the pike – while others put it in this very decade. If there is a consensus emerging, it is that peak-oil output will occur somewhere around 2015."

I don't know about you, but two or three decades in the future doesn't sound very comfortable to me. I think it's about time we started cutting back on oil and using alternative fuels, especially clean ones and alternative energy sources. Let's get busy and make our voices heard.

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