Conserving Beats Drilling, and Is Faster, Too
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.08
From the Exhibition Sorry, Out of Gas
Want to find twice as much gas as can be pumped out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge every day? Just get every driver to slow down, drive just 5% less, and keep their tires properly inflated. That is what the Alliance to Save Energy says, as reported in CNN Money.
Steve Hargreaves writes a surprisingly sensible article, noting that it will take years to build the pumping platforms and pipelines to bring offshore and arctic oil to America, but that conservation can kick in immediately.
"Some of those conservation barrels can be had cheaper than the drilling barrels," said Samantha Gross, an oil analyst at Cambridge. "It has an immediate effect, and it's happening." ::CNN Money via ::The Moral Equivalent of War
How to do it:
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While conserving is an imortant part of the equation, exploration and developement of fossil fuels is going to be important to this world for the forseeable future. Saying that it will take years to build infustructure so it's not worth building is like saying that because a tree takes years to grow it's not worth planting.
Yes, but you can't get elected by telling people they are the ones that have to change.
Other people have to change. Politicians. Corporations, Terrorist, Immigrants, Feminist! They all need to change, not you! You need to keep doing what you are doing, because you are right and I agree with you!
A vote for me is a vote for continuing on our unsustainable race to devour every last natural resource on this planet.
It is so true. Also, If we all drove some sort of PHEV and used even 80% less gas (easily doable if we had just a 40-50 mile electric range on both cars and trucks), we could probably provide most of our own oil via offshore drilling and/or the ANWR... if we wanted to, of course. I'd be much more open to offshore drilling than to using land supposedly already set aside for wildlife.
And if we see the price of diesel stay high or go higher, I think we are likely to see the resurgence of nuclear merchant ships. We built a couple in the 50's (wikipedia has some info about it) but at the time it wasn't economical. It will be soon. And unlike Russia, the U.S. navy has never had a nuclear accident on any of its ships.
And there goes the need for gasoline and imported oil, if we're diligent about it. And when domestic oil finally does run dry despite our conservation measures, we should have enough electric range on our vehicles to either eliminate the non-electric stage or to use biofuels or synthetic hydrocarbons or hydrogen.
Now why don't our leaders try any visionary programs like this? Ah, yes, they don't know anything about science and technology... or they know the American people don't know anything about science and technology.
Lloyd, thanks for sharing this important message with your readers. The tips you mention in your post are just two of many found in the Alliance to Save Energy’s recently launched Drive Smarter Challenge campaign, www.drivesmarterchallenge.org. Created to help people lower their gas costs and their carbon footprint through more fuel-efficient driving and vehicle maintenance actions, the site shows how you can save hundreds of dollars in gasoline with your specific vehicle by taking six simple steps. The site also provides online resources that answer everyday questions, from how to connect with others about carpooling, to how to find the most fuel-efficient vehicle.
Gail Hendrickson
Alliance to Save Energy