It’s a proud day to be an American as China has now surpassed the US in global energy demand. Of course, there’s about 1 billion more Chinese than Americans, but — you know, whatever. The world’s energy usage isn’t showing any signs of slowing down despite the daily unprecedented flow of natural resources used to maintain existing grids.
These are sobering trends to consider in light of Congress’ inability to pass any type of emissions restriction on coal-burning electricity generators in the US. I look at what’s happening in Venezuela with regulated blackouts of energy and think that the rest of the world cannot be too far off.
Opponents say compelling utilities to pay for emitting carbon dioxide would force them to pass along those costs to consumers in the form of higher prices (from the WSJ).
No shit? I don’t understand the problem with making energy more expensive. Sure, it will create a larger rift between the corporate elite and the rest of the world, but isn’t that sort of inevitable in Fiat Land? Aren’t we sort of past the myth of equality? This type of legislation is designed to provide incentive to produce “green” technology, but it appears most corporate innovation is aimed at making the next Facebook (bread and circuses) rather than creating a less wasteful society.
Given the enormous barriers to entry, the idea of the next great thing coming out of somebody’s garage and competing with the $100 billion Research & Development industry seems unlikely. Plus, the chances that you are breaking some sort of law just by producing that certain something in your garage are pretty significant. I think we can finally turn the lights on and reveal the big government/corporate dry humping secret.
As usual, it looks like we’re on our own when the lights start to go out. As the globalization fiesta starts to wind down and we enter the extended weekend hangover of easy credit, something-for-nothing industry, and cheap energy we may wonder why we didn’t save anything for the future.
The rest of the world is onto us and our bullshit shenanigans. Now, the globalization reality means that many American jobs can be performed anywhere for a fraction of the price and with premium efficiency. It seems the American quest for global dominance has painted us into such a corner where the top US corporations barely even pay taxes here and rarely maintain a factory force here.
What can we do? We must focus on providing and using local skilled labor and food sources. We must provide real value within our community and seek to reconnect with reality. We must move past the consumer era and enter the post-carbon era with a resolve. We must re-kindle lost crafts and return to a simplified and improved way of life. This energy gluttony + fiat currency equation does not lead to more energy consumption and a better way of life.
In case you have not noticed, I added a wiki editable page of “50 Item Checklist.” If you have something to contribute, please do it there or contact me if you’ve got something to share.
Reduction of both waste and energy use is no longer just a good idea but is a long-term necessity that I believe will become the next way of life.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
There are myriad interest groups trying to get some kind of tax passed on some specific consumption issue, whether for the rain forest, carbon emissions, or obesity.
If I invent some clean energy source, and the only consumption tax is on carbon, then where does the incentive to reduce consumption come from?
The only general consumption tax being proposed (that I know of) is actually a conservative/libertarian idea, the FairTax (http://www.fairtax.org). The problem with it is that their goal is to be ‘revenue neutral’ to replace income taxes. Since our government is operating on a deficit, it can’t be revenue neutral at the proposed 23%.
Our problem is not any specific form of consumption, but the overall idea that increasing consumption and increasing GDP are more important than surviving as a species (giving back more than we take from the environment). The advertising that convinces people to buy stupid shit and the lobbying expenses to keep it that way are TAX DEDUCTIBLE, for crying out loud! What possible incentive is there to change such a system unless it utterly collapses?
A few of us growing our own food, sweating without air conditioning, and taking our lives in our hands riding bicycles among the Escalades and Hummers sure as hell aren’t going to convince anyone we have a better way of living except those who already want it. The ‘future’ consumers are trapped in consumer-oriented schools, based on the factory model where extra production (anyone that isn’t on the scholarship track) is sold wholesale to other factories(tech schools) for recycling or dumped in the dumpster of the ghetto to become “entrepreneurs” (drug dealers).
“We must re-kindle lost crafts and return to a simplified and improved way of life.” Amen, brother! And I’ll bet you’d like this post today at my own blog, VERY relevant: “My Great-Great-Grandmother’s Fork.” http://www.farrfeed.com/2010/07/26/greatgreatgrandmothers-fork/
I hear you Tommy.
I don’t consider myself “in the know” or even ’studied’ on political topics, legislation, etc. (although I’m gaining ground), but it seems obvious to me that we’re heading for a revolution between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’.
If things were done the way they were in the 17th. century, there would have been NO BAILOUTS!! Those bass-turds would have been tar & feathered, in the stocks, and hanging from the gallows. There should have been rioting in the streets the day “we” bailed those sons-o-bitches out.
Anyway, I digress…
If I see this coming, surely they do – so better not yank away the energy too quick & hard. The folks in this country pretty much have their SUVs, Cable TV, and Beer – let them keep those and it doesn’t matter how impoverished they are or how foul we become as a society allowing our politicians to bed with the highest bidder. That’s why I think (at least partly) the energy situation/cost/incentive(s) hasn’t changed.
@Auntie:
As mentioned in other comments I’ve made, I still buy ‘crap’ (like Taco Bell), but I’m trying to change. I want to be one of those folks that bikes to work, or walks, and do as much as I can locally, and/or on my own.
I’m sure readers already know about this, but I thought I would share it because I think it’s a great magazine.
http://www.readymade.com/
I just got my first issue and it’s great. I can see how a trend could start that is marketing and “consuming” anti-consumerism, but -for now- for someone of my low skill level, it works.
@TAOS:
I love the fork. That fork has character like no other. “Old Stuff” is cool, unique, built to last, and the energy used to make it has been redeemed by the years (centuries in some cases) of use. If everyone kept their damn forks that were made right in the first place… well, I’m sure we can connect the proverbial dots there.
Good topics here.
The past 100-150 years has been one of the most successful marketing schemes(swindles?) in human history, next to religion of course. It was called “power to the people” and we bought it hook, line and sinker. Who wouldn’t? It fed our fragile and needy egos. Everything was going to get “better”.
Now we’re finally seeing how it hasn’t quite turned out as we were lead to believe. And we’ve come to the realization that we are no different than medieval serfs. “They” have closed shop and moved on to greener pastures, leaving us to fight over the last remaining scraps of a decent living while “they” continue to build wealth and live like kings, fleecing the next credulous vicitms.