I mean, really--who wants to pay a guy to come with a truck to your house and pump a flammable fluid into a tank in your basement, IF you could get the same results from our good friend Mister Sun? Energy from solar and wind used to be terribly expensive but those costs are plummeting and making those options HUGELY competitive.
We're also getting smarter about how much energy we USE--LED light bulbs are amazing--I can't believe how much less energy they burn that incandescents or even the squiggly neons (which I was using over in Europe years before they took off in USA).
Battery tech for vehicles isn't quite there yet for long distance driving, but even with gasoline engines, they are getting more and more efficient. I am astounded at the MPG some of these cars get. And hybrid cars do well, too.
I don't like fracking and I am lucky as I live in a state where we don't do that. Water is a precious resource and we shouldn't mess with it. Also, those earthquakes aren't happening outta the blue.
Hopefully we'll get to the point where we are totally onboard with renewable/sustainable modes of providing energy to ourselves.
Many of the peak oil folks I heard from were insisting that we'd be sitting in the dark, freezing our asses off and everyone would DIE, I TELL YOU, DIE!!!
MY POV on oil? I think it is having its last hurrah. Buggy whips on sale--get 'em while they're hot!
It may take longer for China to get with the program, but maybe not, too. If they can make a buck selling solar on a wide scale, they'll get the spirit. And that top-down government will basically whip the shit out of anyone who doesn't play ball. Right now, that coal and oil they use is dirt cheap, so that's how they're rolling, but one day they'll see the utility (and the profit potential) of taking another path.
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