On 11 Sep, 2007, at 11:32 AM, Jim Devine wrote:
My friend Jurriaan sent me the following:
<snip happens>
While oil supplied roughly one half of the world's estimated total
primary energy demand in 1974, today it is below 2/5ths. So although
you can say that consumption has increased, the relative importance of
oil as energy source is actually declining in favour of other energy
sources. Within 50 years, with new technologies, oil may possibly only
supply 1/5 of primary energy demand.
So, usage of oil has gone down, and we feel it is a good thing. Only
a right-winger would insist that such progress be accomplished by the
"invisible hand" (including such nebulous terms as "new
technologies") rather than intelligent and intentional planning.
For two billion poor people, food prices are much more critical.
Are we in the business of serialising hand-outs to the poor? I think
most of you would agree not. The effects of human rapacious
consumption of finite resources are more acutely visited upon the 2
billion poor than on those with email addresses, yes?
--ravi
