The Energy Crisis Will Be Blogged.

Okay, I’m going to try and alienate myself from both sides of the political spectrum now. Wish me luck!

I’m one of the few true-blue conservatives (with a small ‘c’) that will actually come out and admit that I believe there is energy crisis looming. I mean, I believe that oil is a finite resource, and I believe that with growing demand, just how finite that resource is will become more apparent over time. For most people under the age of thirty, you will probably live through the energy crisis. Fossil fuels will prove themselves to be Earth’s sick joke to humanity; a substance that has a mass-to-energy ratio that can only be surpassed by nuclear fission. And in this sense, has provided us the ability to travel the entire world with ease. More importantly, to travel where we want, when we want.

Now don’t get me wrong. We’re not going to run out of oil in my lifetime, but we are going to see the supply system get stretched to the hilt; so much to the point that minor disruptions will become massive economic blows.

The problem with fossil fuel is, in scientific terms, it is not efficient. At least, from the perspective of what’s involved in actually producing the oil itself. Contrary to certain rumor, oil does not just percolate from the Earth’s core through some mystical geological process. Fossil fuels are the result of millions of years of biological processes, in the form of plants and animals; converting disparate elements into the complex molecules we call hydrocarbons. The sheer amount of energy, cumulatively added up over the millions of years of life on this planet that went into producing these deposits of oil is tremendous. Indeed multitudes more tremendous then the energy we will actually extract from the oil itself. It is in this production inefficiency which gives oil its label: non-renewable resource.

Hydrogen power will not replace oil, at least not in the way most people think. Vehicles equipped with hydrogen power cells will not be as energy efficient as their gasoline counterparts (we’re talking efficiency in terms of energy conversion here, not efficiency in terms of the fuel creation as in what we were just talking about.) There is simply no conceivable way to project a 2-tonne automobile along a highway the same distance using hydrogen fuel, as you would with gasoline of the same mass.

Some engineers actually deem it more likely that battery technology will at some point surpass hydrogen power in mass/storage efficiency. But for now, hydrogen will remain the favorite second-choice to gasoline.

First things first: electrical power is the future and we can produce it through renewable resources. We need to start putting more emphasis on nuclear generation. Contrary to popular belief, it is the safest and most efficient form of energy generation. I dare you to compare the number of people that have died mining coal, or extracting oil to the number of people that have died in nuclear power generation incidents. Get over Chernobyl. Seriously.

Nuclear fission is also more efficient than burning gasoline. We should be moving our land-based electrical grids away from any type of fossil fuel generation and since we don’t have an adequate replacement for fossil fuels, and because our transportation systems (cars, trucks, and airplanes) are completely dependent on them, I think we should at least try reserving this resource for our conveyances. This isn’t some wacky, left-wing nut-job suggestion. It just seems like common sense.

Second: stop buying SUVs you stupid pricks. I really don’t understand our fascination with these monstrosities. There is a huge “because I can” mentality here that drives me nuts. As a capitalist, I abhor your outright decision to be economically inefficient at personal harm to yourself and to the rest of the population. Please don’t point out to me that they are safer; this is not true.

Look, I’m not a conservation zealot, but SUVs cross the line on so many levels. They even contribute to traffic congestion. For example: How many of you drive a car, and find yourself unable to make a left-turn because a giant Suburban making a left-turn in the onward direction is completely blocking your view of oncoming traffic? This is so common place that I swear significantly less people are able to make left-turns per light-cycle as a direct result of people owning SUVs. I have no data to support this, as it’s from personal observation, but I’m sure it’s true.

You are also contributing to rising demand for fossil fuels, in effect causing the prices to go up. I’m all happy and glad that you don’t mind the $100 fill-up, and you gloat about your willingness to pay it, but maybe I don’t want to pay that much simply because you do. This isn’t supply and demand. It’s hoarding.

Because I’m a conservative and libertarian, I will not deny you your “right” to conduct yourself in such a repugnant fashion. But I reserve the right to hate you.

Third: Wind power is a bullshit idea. Anybody who has the gall to bet our future on such a flimsy answer to such a massive problem is suffering from some severe psychological trauma.

Fourth: Don’t panic. We’ve got at least half-a-century of good times left. The crisis is inevitable, so don’t think about it too much. Problems like this are self-correcting anyways. They just tend to require a massive economic disaster to precipitate the solution. You watch, when the oil is gone, someone will figure out an alternative. Necessity is the mother of all invention, after all.