Beyond Oil

Well beyond oil and other fossil fuels, our life as a global village will hum with energy that does not pollute. No pollution of water, soil or air. Can you imagine it? Think about it for awhile. Let it sink in.

Trains will whisk us from town to town, city to city and even among urban neighborhoods. Powered by electricity – solar, wind, hydrogen cells, hydro dams, etc. – these new facilities and infrastructure will reduce street congestion, traffic jams and time lost to commuting and other required movements. Surface trams, powered again by electricity, will move people locally. Interaction of diverse social groups will occur so naturally in place at function and interest we will not even notice. Common humanity will be so normal it won’t be thought of.

Personal transport for self and family will likely still be available. America loves its cars too much to strip ourselves of a vision absent automobiles. But they will be different. Smaller, compact, using alternative energy sources that, again, do not pollute the air, water or soil we depend upon so dearly for life and health. Such cars will help us get to social affairs, schools, medical facilities and cultural events. Public transportation will move the larger groups of people but personal transport will still be needed. And desired. But the social significance of such will be lessened. The positive effects are too valuable to support such wasteful habits of the past.

Homes will be smaller and more densely neighbored. Parks and green space will be abundant and at close hand. Exercise, a healthy environment and plenty of natural light, will power individuals to do their daily activities. Beauty of landscape and architecture will also inspire and nurture human interaction and productivity.

Did we mention creativity? That, too, will be experienced with positive results from surroundings that emphasize them. How could this be otherwise? So natural.

We argue now about oil resources. Currently we have a glut of oil product in storage and in the production pipeline, to say nothing of what is being pumped from the ground and on its way to refineries. This was not always so, but it is now. Many nations produce oil energy supplies. Many nations use their own production to fuel their needs thus reducing demand on other producers in the world.

We also use energy more sparingly today and thus energy supplies go farther than they once did. And we have invented alternate energy sources as well. Thus fossil fuel resources are needed less and less.

While the surviving supplies continue to compete with one another – nations as well! – the glut continues to press oil prices downward. But that is temporary as the glut is used up and supplies return to normal. Then the prices will rise accordingly.

But wait! If we make progress on reducing our dependence on oil energy supply, we will rely less and less on oil until it is a relic of the past.

We are observing the partial results of conservation, better engineering and invention, as well as altered thoughts in how we ought to live. This will be the new reality maker, I think. If we use less space, involve our minds more in quality of life pursuits, and value a clean environment, I’m confident that lifestyles will change so much as to cause our global community to abandon oil as energy.

The standard is shifting. We need to continue the shift until demand for oil is miniscule. We are on that path. But we have a long, long way to go.

Let’s consciously make the need for oil go away. Completely away. It will only disappear if we work toward that. All together. And now.

March 29, 2016