I've been listening to the radio for the past hour or so - slowly waking up my brain as I make breakfast and wash dishes... So far I've heard 4 stories on how Americans are beginning to adapt (not just to climate change, but to the "cracking" - see the post below) - one on co-generation, one on growing vegetables, one on airlines charging for checked luggage and one on boat owners cutting back on joy rides.
I was in the midst of washing a pot while the cogeneration story played, so I couldn't hear all of it. Instead, my mind started to wander to a lecture I heard about a year ago. A cogeneration consultant talked about how Dubai is leading the field with tons of huge new cogeneration projects. Seemingly in possession of all the cheap oil in the world, and Dubai is investing in cogeneration... food for thought.
My mind wandered further down this track. A couple of years ago I traveled to Libya with my grandfather. We had the opportunity to hear a presentation from Qaddafi's administration on Libyan economic development. Ever the trouble-maker, I asked a question: "These economic development plans sound great, but they all seem heavily dependent on cheap oil. And your projections do not show oil lasting forever. What are you going to do when the oil runs out?"
The speaker looked me in the eyes for a moment and paused before proclaiming, "We're going to fill the desert with solar panels and export hydrogen to the first world."
Well, at least someone has a plan!! Of course, given the small scope and slow pace of American adaptation - a few more bucks for checked baggage, a few less joy-riders, a vegetable here and there (as much as I love veggies...) - we'll still be dependent on Middle Eastern dictatorships for our energy, even in a new energy era.
What happened to American innovation? As long as we keep burying our heads in the oil sands, we'll never see our way out of this one...
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