This
website is the home page for a public access television show that airs
on Channel 29 in San Francisco. The purpose of the show is to nurture
an on-going discussion about the fate of civilization and democracy
when it becomes increasingly clear that many aspects of western
civilization, dependent as it is on the extraction of vast amounts of
non-renewable resources from the planet, cannot be perpetuated.
The show will also focus on the creation of sustainable communities.
Car-Free Talk airs again on Wednesday, February 27
9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Channel 29, Access San Francisco
With host Sue Vaughan and car-free San Francisco resident Chandler White
Live call-show
To participate, call
(415) 621-4473
In the context of rising oil prices, many are asking how to deal with their new circumstances, and what they can do to make a difference in their communities. Here are some suggestions. P
- Get the facts; donīt be fooled by government proclamations or journalism with an agenda.
- Become familiar with renewable energy by purchasing something using photovoltaics ("PV") that you can afford to lose or break. Get some experience with PV -- with a solar powered flashlight, a lantern, or a backup power supply. More details of some interesting options will be provided soon.
- Natural gas and fuel oil are likely to be scarce (i.e., expensive) this winter. If you have a house that has access to a good southern exposure but limited windows on the south side, or something that shades the south, it would be worthwhile to do some modifications before the cold weather sets in.
- Get serious about energy conservation. The most inefficient appliance in your home is probably the refrigerator. It might be time to get a new one.
- Plant a garden again.
- Hold leaders accountable. It is important that more people understand what is going on so that they too can get prepared. This might involve writing letters to the editor or testifying in public hearings.
- Advocate for transportation money to be spent on public transportation and not for cars -- road expansion, parking garages, etc.
PEAK OIL CRISIS
Peak
oil is the point in time when extraction of oil from the earth reaches
its highest point and then begins to decline. We won't be able to say
with certainty when we have reached peak oil until after the fact. Many
experts say we have already reached the peak. Others say not yet, but
within the next few years.
What does Peak Oil herald? It heralds
the end of cheap energy. In just a short 100 year period our
civilization has built a high reliance on cheap, abundant energy.
Hubbert's Peak
The late Dr. M. King Hubbert, geophysicist, is well known as a world authority on the estimation of energy resources and on the prediction of their patterns of discovery and depletion.
He was probably the best known geophysicist in the world to the general public because of his startling prediction, first made public in 1949, that the fossil fuel era would be of very short duration. "Energy from Fossil Fuels, Science" [[February 4, 1949]
His prediction in 1956 that U.S.oil production would peak in about 1970 and decline thereafter was scoffed at then but his analysis has since proved to be remarkably accurate. See Nuclear Energy and the Fossil Fuels by M. King Hubbert, Chief Consultant (General Geology), Exploration and Production Research Division, Shell Development Company, Publication Number 95, Houston, Texas, June 1956, Presented before the Spring Meeting of the Southern District, American Petroleum Institute, Plaza Hotel, San Antonio, Texas, March 7-8-9, 1956.
Related Links
From The Headlines
BBC: 'Peak oil' enters mainstream debate
full story...
NYT: The Breaking Point
full story...
Economist: Still At It's Mercy
full story...
National Geographic: The End of Cheap Oil
full story...
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