Peak oil is most likely a term most readers have not heard before. That is about to change. The concept is slowly making its way onto the mainstream stage. It is intruding into the fringes of the public conscience and soon it may occupy the greater part. When that time comes, as it inevitably will, and probably sooner than you think, the world as we know it will end.
Oil is the lifeblood not only of the U.S. economy—especially its terrible military capability—it is in a very literal sense what drives the global economy. Even small declines in oil extraction (oil is not produced—it is extracted), have created major ripples in the global economy. Remember the gas shortages and rationing that occurred during the Carter Administration during the late 1970s?
All of the oil that exists is the product of complex ecological processes: the decomposition of prehistoric plants and animals over eons of time. There will never be any more oil than there is now. There will only be less; and eventually there will be none. Peak oil refers to the time when the rate of extraction from a specific location (or the whole world) is at a maximum. Beyond the peak of extraction follows a steady and continuous decline. In the U.S. peak oil was reached in the early seventies of the last century. Since that time extraction of all U.S. oil reserves has been steadily declining, while demand has gradually increased. As more of the world becomes industrialized and taps into the world’s oil pipeline, the more rapidly it is depleted. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. There will never be any more.
The world’s largest known oil reserves are in the Middle East--specifically, beneath the desert sands of Saudi Arabia. Other significant reserves exist in Africa, Venezuela, Asia, and Siberia and in lesser amounts scattered across the planet. According to the world’s most highly regarded geologists, physicists and investment bankers, those reserves are much smaller than originally thought. Much of what remains is of poor quality, difficult to extract and very expensive to refine. Globally, world peak oil may have occurred as early as the year 2000. By the year 2020 global population will have nearly doubled; and ever more underdeveloped countries will come online. It should be obvious to any sane person that worldwide demand for oil is severely outpacing supply. For every ten barrels of oil used, only four barrels are being extracted and refined to replace them.
Peak oil is a concept that is well understood by most governments. The end of cheap oil means the collapse not only of the U.S. economy but also the global economy. Alarm over peak oil is almost certainly the hidden reason that the U.S. invaded Iraq. It is the reason we are building fourteen permanent military bases in that country. The U.S. has no intentions of ever leaving Iraq as long as one drop of our precious oil lies beneath their sand. How our oil got beneath their sand must have some cryptogamous connection to the ideology of manifest destiny that has driven this nation to unthinkable crimes against nature and humanity. It is the basis for World War Three, which we may already have initiated with the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Widespread resource wars will be the very predictable result of the rush to extract the world’s last remaining and dwindling oil reserves.
Peak oil is almost certainly the underlying cause for the events of 9/11. The American people are not being told the truth. There is a high probability that Oil men in high places of the U.S. government orchestrated those events in order to get the American People behind the invasion of first Afghanistan, then Iraq; and probably Iran, Syria or North Korea will be next. Dick Cheney appears to be a likely suspect, perhaps with the aid of Poppy Bush and his CIA connections. They intend to get average American’s used to the idea of war that will not end in our lifetimes. The age of cheap oil is nearing an end and the financiers of war and empire are scared stiff. They will do anything to have access to the last dregs of oil that can be sucked out of the earth, no matter which nations sit atop them. The second largest reserves of oil happen to lie beneath Iraq. The U.S. connections to the House of Saud are too well documented to warrant discussion here.
Those who run America’s shadow government, a coalition of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people; including the Carlyle Group and the Bilderbergers, know that we are addicted to oil, especially cheap oil. The entire financial infrastructure of the U.S. Empire and its global holdings, including its satellite terrorist state, Israel, is on the verge of collapse. Those in power are secretly panic stricken. America’s unequalled military firepower is utterly dependent on the life blood of cheap oil to keep the machinery of run amok capitalism running. Given the atrocities that the U.S. is inflicting with impunity around the world, there will be hell to pay when that advantage is lost. Like an addict hooked on Cocaine, those in power will do anything to get one more fix, cost what it will. We are in for a rude awakening.
We must wake up to what kind of people we are dealing with. This government is not only more criminal and corrupt than we imagine—it is more criminal and illicit than we can imagine. Bush and company make the mafia look like boy scouts. Let me try to convey some idea of what I mean. The collection of thugs and criminals now running the country are the greatest and most dangerous organized crime syndicate in the world. And they possess the greatest arsenal of weapons, many of them nuclear, that the world has ever seen. They have an unparalleled propensity for violence. They are not who you think they are; and they are not doing what you think they are doing.
As world citizens we must come to our senses and cast off the intoxicating lies we have been told about America’s domestic and foreign policies. We have built a self delusional culture of mindless consumption of goods and services based upon the exploitation of working class people and raw materials by the ruling elite. It is in their interest, not ours’, that the myths of America as a democracy, as world emancipator of the oppressed were created. They are mere folklore and powerful delusions that are based upon lies and deceit in order to serve the purposes of empire; to keep the poor in servitude to the rich and powerful. They were created so that we can bear to live with ourselves. We are the slaves of modern capitalism in all its horrible incarnations. Like Frankenstein, we helped to create this monster and unleashed it upon the world. We therefore bear the responsibility for bringing it under control and making it accountable to the world.
It has been said that the truth will set us free. If so, and I believe it will, it would behoove us to come to an honest reckoning with the history we have chosen as a nation to create. Any truth is better than make believe.
Charles Sullivan is a photographer, social activist and free lance writer residing in the hinterland of West Virgina.
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Thank you Charles Sullivan for speaking truth to the apathetic, uncaring, ignorant and stupid. I think you spoke eloquently of all the REAL problems with the way this country and the rest of the world is being "managed" by the ruling elite. Those of us who know these things are, sadly, in the unheard minority or marginalized when the truth does get out.
I don't profess to know everything and I don't know if I'd really want to, because my education and life experiences have taught me well enough to have survived in an increasingly hostile world. It has taught me how to spot lies and see when the People are being jerked around by this Texas Mafia and their political and private benefactors who haven't even had the common decency to hide their agendas and their unlimited greed and grasping for power. They probably grew up as the little mouthy kids who didn't know when to shut up and got slapped upside the head by those who knew more about the world. They grew up to resent people who tried to teach them some manners and how to treat others less fortunate. Then again, spoiled rich kids get to do that with no repercussions and, like Incurious George, have no idea what the spiritual know.
I'll stop ranting and kudos again on a well-written and succinctly stated article of whole truth.
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HarpMan1224 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 14 comments) on Wednesday, Jan 4, 2006 at 5:57:34 PM
The end of oil should be a realization to these elite Wardogs. Next we will be going to War over a region who is said to have large oil reserves to later find no oil reserves like the no WMD in Iraq. Such a tragedy.
American farmers should be assured they are the answer to the energy crisis. Using ethanol is a viable and cleaner alternative. Especially when used to power steam engine technology.
Steam engines are much more powerful than internal combustion engines, and with the new technology we have today, will make steam engine cars the best on the road.
Ethanol does not need to worry about cost, because many new crops are being used to produce it such as Switchgrass.
With Oil dwindling of course Oil prices are going to go up. They will never go down. Oil prices can not go downward because the supply constantly dwindles. It doesn't matter if they find new oil wells somewhere else in the world. Because the World is like a big cup. Once the supply is gone it is gone.
We can expect Oil prices to continue to climb. Ethanol production will be based upon cost involved in growing crops. The less attention, the less fertilizer the less the cost.
Oil giants should be happy that ethanol is coming on line because it saves oil resources for structural materials, instead of being burned up in a tail pipe and forever gone.
Sooner or later Oil elite companies will join the ethanol producers. How many gallons of beer and alcoholic drinks does America produce annually?
Certainly enough to feed America's transportation needs. People say growing enough ethanol will take to much land space.
Someday we will build skyscrapers that are glass hydrophonic greenhouses, that will grow crops faster and more economically than those pessimistic pundits claim.
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Dom Jermano (20 articles, 0 quicklinks, 40 diaries, 930 comments) on Wednesday, Jan 4, 2006 at 6:46:49 PM
Ths biggest challenge, in my opinion, to getting people to listen about Peak Oil is that it is so far removed from our North American experience. I have studied how people think, and if you try to present information that they cannot relate to their past experiences, they will block it out. This also applies to how we got here, and who is to blame.
My approach (more at www.EnergyPredicament.com) is to bring people up to speed gradually, pointing out events they have already experienced - high gasoline prices, brownouts, natural gas scarcity. If you turn them off up front with scary details or accusitory language, it can take a long time before they will open their minds to the concept.
After all, peak oil does threaten the lifestyle we North Americans have come to love. Tread lightly.
Randy Park
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Randy Park (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments) on Thursday, Jan 5, 2006 at 8:01:34 AM
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