It has been said that there is a “perfect storm” brewing for renewable energy: the twin threats of climate change and fossil fuel depletion. Al Gore’s seminal 2006 film, An Inconvenient Truth, launched climate change into the world spotlight. Some people still debate whether global warming is being caused exclusively by mankind, but even so, governments all over the globe have started taking action to reduce human contributions to climate change by implementing regulations governing emissions from factories and vehicles. People across the world have started taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints, the measure of units of carbon dioxide, or greenhouse gases, emitted as a result of human activities.
But the other partner in this brewing storm, fossil fuel depletion, hasn’t gotten as much attention, although the topic is gradually starting to seep into mainstream news reports. Fossil fuel depletion, also known as “peak oil,” is the phenomenon whereby the petroleum-based fuels that have been the lifeblood of our society enter a period of steep decline—and stay there. Life without oil, or with a drastically reduced amount of oil, is hard for people to imagine, so many deny that as a possibility for the future. In this country, people have gotten used to “technology” improving life and solving problems and prefer to believe that this modern wonder will come to the rescue somehow. Meanwhile, oil companies are scrambling to find more of the black gold being consumed in increasing amounts by both developed and developing nations. Last week “an informed source” announced that Petroleo Brasileiro SA had discovered off the coast of Brazil what could be the world’s third largest oil field, estimated to hold 33 billion barrels of oil, enough, they say, to supply every refinery in the U.S. for six years. However, the next day the company said there was no new information about the field, which was actually discovered last fall. Experts say it will be some time before its true capacity is determined, and that extracting the oil, which lies 10,000 meters below the ocean floor, will be very expensive and would probably not start for five to six years at the earliest. (If early speculation is correct—that the field could eventually supply refineries in the U.S. for six years—one has to wonder what happens after that.) In the meantime, stalled oil production and increasing demand have driven the price of oil as high as $120 a barrel, which is already causing repercussions throughout the world.
Lifestyle changes people make today may eventually help offset global warming, but in the short term will be absolutely necessary as the supply of oil becomes smaller and smaller. The implications of life without readily available oil are enormous. Petroleum permeates our lives in so many ways, we may not even realize it. Petroleum extracts are present in commercial fertilizers and pesticides used on the large farms where much of the nation’s food is produced. Petroleum fuels our cars, trucks, ships, and airplanes which, in addition to getting us from here to there, also bring the food to local supermarkets. It powers the farm vehicles used in planting and harvesting. Petroleum is used in the manufacture of plastics, which are present everywhere in our lives—from bags at the grocery store to baby bottles, disposable diapers, food storage containers, critical medical supplies and equipment, and more.
There isn’t a simple solution, such as substituting biofuel for gasoline. The production of biofuel takes precious farmland out of food production and puts it to work fueling engines. We are already starting to see the effects of this. Last week CNN reported there were “riots from Haiti to Bangladesh to Egypt over the soaring costs of basic foods.” (See www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/14/world.food.crisis.) This week that same news agency reported on American families starting to feel the pinch of increasing food prices. (See money.cnn.com/2008/04/21/news/economy/moms_foodshopping.)
There are lifestyle changes we can make that could help minimize the use of fossil fuels. You might call some of these changes “low-hanging fruit”—they are easy to do, and are relatively inexpensive. Anyone who has seen An Inconvenient Truth has heard about them, and they are popping up as “green tips” on TV stations and in newspapers and magazines. Here are a few:
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs—compact fluorescent lights
- Turn lights off when they aren’t needed. Consider redefining when they are needed: do the lights really need to be on as daylight fades to dusk?
- Purchase Energy Star appliances as old ones need replacing.
- Use the “air dry” cycle on the dishwasher.
- Take shorter showers, to reduce the need for hot water.
- Buy cloth bags for bringing home the groceries, instead of taking paper or plastic from the store.
- Recycle whatever you can, to prevent the need for more production of goods.
- Hang laundry to dry instead of using an electric clothes dryer. In the spring and summer hang clothes outside. In the winter, hang them on a portable wooden clothes-drying rack.
- In winter, turn down the thermostat to 65 degrees or lower; dress in layers. In summer, turn up the air conditioner’s temperature setting.
- Buy food from local sources, such as a farmers’ market or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm.
Other changes are not so simple. They may be costly and may require a commitment to significantly alter your lifestyle. A few of them are:
- Install your own alternative power source, such as solar panels.
- Buy foods in bulk to lower the demand for packaging and to reduce the number of trips to the grocery store.
- Don’t buy convenience foods. Instead, devote one weekend a month to making and storing your own.
- Grow as much of your own food as possible. Can, freeze, or dry foods you grow, for consumption during the winter.
- Travel less. If you must travel, consider public transportation, such as trains.
- Eliminate recreational shopping from your life. Buy only what you need, only when it’s necessary. Follow the old New England adage: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
If the list seems long and daunting, consider making just one change and doing it until it becomes a habit. Then add another, and another. Our collective efforts can have a powerful impact.
This column seeks to inspire readers to cultivate lifestyles that can be maintained into the future, and to build communities dedicated to living more lightly on planet Earth.