Despite the miserable Easter I've been cheered by signs all weekend of real structural change here in the UK. It started with discovering this magazine [free on-line copy available] - from a local garden centre would you believe? Permaculture is a great way forward for food production. The magazine covers the essentials, as well as wider issues like Peak Oil and Climate Change. The articles are very positive and avoid the miserablism of the tory/socialist/hippy concensus.
The shops are full of seeds and gardening stuff, as are the weekend papers. It's as if the supermarkets already know that they're dying and are trying to shift into real stuff. The signs are everywhere.
Look, we all know that the oil economy is coming to an end, just as severe climate change kicks in. It ain't going to be easy, but for those of us prepared, debt-free, with our own gardens, woodland, tools, skills and networks it'll be easier, way easier, than it will be for the socialists, petrol-heads, consumer sheep, meat eater hippies and other assorted losers. So get on board and see it as a challange rather than a threat.
From now on I'll be concentrating on positive action for my readers, but will of course not shy away from having a good laugh at the losers that are trying to convince themselves that nothing's wrong!
2 comments:
How would you store it? There is simply no way to store solar energy without at least 75% of the power being lost during the conversion. It is also energy intensive to mine and manufacture solar panels.
http://www.energytribune.com/articles.cfm?aid=340
We have to hope that there are still perhaps 20 years of technological advance left, possibly 30 in the developed world. It may well be that with resources properly focussed we can make post-oil devices more efficient than they currently are, but there's always a trade of with any energy generating or storage devices.
Solar is only one small part of the solution - energy conservation and efficiency are also essential, as is localising lifestyles.
Unfortunately we may well need to utilise nuclear power for a few more decades to give us some breathing space. 'Unfortunately' because of the high costs involved, which are only going to increase, particularly if there is a scramble for non-sustainable uranium.
I still feel we need to concentrate on the practical and positive aspects of post Peak Oil survival, and spread information as much as possible.
The simple fact is that oil was always going to be the cheapest and easiest way to get energy - all the replacements are going to be less easy and less efficient.
That surely is what the whole core of Peak Oil is about?
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