[ExI] How the world collapses

[spike]

>... On Behalf Of BillK
Subject: Re: [ExI] How the world collapses

On Sun, May 18, 2014 at 3:31 PM, spike wrote:
>>... It's a nice goal of course.  Now explain how we are going to handle 
> the load when a billion more Chinese people and a billion more Indian 
> people want to drive.  And the billion more that will be born in the 
> next decade want to eat...  What are we doing that is really all that
important?

And remember that oil is not only used in transportation. Much of our modern
civilization depends on products made from oil. Plastics, medicines,
fertilizers, cosmetics, synthetic fabrics, lubricants, rubber, TVs,
computers, etc. When we eventually get every rooftop covered in solar
panels, a lot of that solar power will be used to create oil that we can't
do without - no matter how expensive it becomes.

>...Telepresence should reduce the demand for tearing around in V8s.
Millennials already don't drive much and instead use cycles and public
transport.  There is a new - different! - generation getting ready to take
over.  BillK
_______________________________________________

I see some steps we can take that would be largely symbolic but might raise
awareness of the goal.  Consider for instance the growing of victory
gardens.  We wouldn't really dent the food bill: a typical family would be
lucky to produce 1% of their calories from a vegetable garden, and even then
it assumes a large yard.  But it raises awareness of the energy
intensiveness of our diets.  That was easy.

Consider steps such as the late "sequestration."  This week the GAO produced
a report on the outcome of that program that saved the taxpayer 44 billion
dollars.  The resulting massive layoff in government was measured at... one
job.  One.  OK now, it would suck to be that one guy.  But one job, saves 44
billion dollars.  Let's call that guy Joe Btfsplk, have a Joe Btfsplk day,
buy him lunch, help him find a new job with that 44 billion that has been
pumped back into the economy, and restore sequestration immediately, while
celebrating it as a symbol of our wastefulness.  That was easy.

Influence state governments to reduce registration fees on vehicles.  This
would make it more practical to own additional conveyances besides the V8 we
occasionally need for high speed cross country treks.  The fees once covered
some of the paperwork costs associated with car ownership.  That has become
more efficient.  So why not cut registration fees in half?  If highway
maintenance is at issue, make up the difference in fuel taxes.  That was
easy.

The first steps toward overall energy balance are all low hanging fruit,
easy relatively painless steps.

spike