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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (5088)	11/16/2006 11:13:59 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24212

Energy crisis isn’t going to resolve itself published November 14, 2006 12:15 am Imagine, just for a moment, a world with no petroleum. Imagine how different daily life would be. Many of the acts we take for granted become problematic if not impossible without petroleum. There would be no hopping in the car for a five-mile drive to the grocery store or turning a thermostat dial to fend off the cold. It actually isn’t that hard to imagine such a world, because that world is not very distant in our past. A little more than a century ago we began entering the age of relatively cheap mass-produced petroleum, an age that helped unleash a technological revolution that transformed our world. It was an age that saw the end of the horse and buggy and, with the advent of abundant energy, the end of an agrarian lifestyle marked by hardship and labor. However, petroleum is not a limitless resource, a fact we’re reminded of all too often. A mounting crisis Gordon Mercer, director of the Public Policy Institute at Western Carolina University, said, “With every visit to the gas pump, it is impossible not to be reminded about the rising cost of oil and the mounting energy crisis.’’ Indeed, the cost of oil is more than dollars. Massive oil use comes with a price to our environment, and it comes with a price to our nation’s foreign policy, at times warping some of our democracy’s most basic tenets as we have sought to secure reliable sources of oil from distant shores. As the warning signs of an energy crisis grow more numerous, it becomes more obvious it’s a crisis we as a nation will have to face. To that end, WCU is sponsoring a day-long summit Wednesday to address the issue. A slate of local, state and federal officials will take part in the summit, including U.S. Energy Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Policy and International Affairs, Katharine Ann Fredricksen, and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue. Notables at the opening sessions, which focuses on the need for business and local government cooperation on energy issues, include Asheville City Manager Gary Jackson; Progress Energy community relations manager Ken Maxwell; the Waste Reduction Partners Program at Land-of-Sky Regional Council, Terry Albrecht; and the Energy Department’s Bill Eaker, who works with the Clean Cities Program. Speakers addressing alternative and renewable energy include N.C. GreenPower Vice President Maggy Inman, Jackson County Green Energy Park Director Timm Muth, the N.C. Solar Center’s Anne Tazewell and Michael Duvall, director of economic development for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Alternative resources It’s worth noting that human history prior to the age of oil wasn’t a period without energy. Water, steam and wind power had already wrought huge technological leaps. Similarly, as we begin to adapt to an era where oil becomes more scarce, sources of power, old and new, will be improved and developed. Some of the new innovations will be on display at the WCU summit in an array of vehicles utilizing advanced technologies like compressed natural gas, ethanol and biodiesel. Mercer noted, “With this crisis … comes tremendous opportunity, as the promise of new technology and alternative sources of fuel offers a chance for monumental change.” WCU has tended to be ahead of the curve on sweeping issues that have a huge impact on our lives. For example, a 1999 gathering looked at the ramifications of terrorism on our own shores. Planning ahead is wise This gathering won’t change the world, but does recognize that the world is changing. We can be swept along by those changes, or we can prepare to meet them. Meeting them means examing new modes of energy, new ways of building, innovative means of conservation and transportation. One thing is certain: not examining solutions to the energy crisis isn’t going to make it go away. We prefer the old motto of “Be Prepared,’’ and we salute WCU for taking steps in that direction. ABOUT THE SUMMIT: Registration for the summit is currently under way. The registration fee of $25 includes lunch, refreshments and materials. For more information or to register, contact the Public Policy Institute citizen-times.com