I’ve been writing a book examining climate change and energy policy from a Christian perspective. The book, Jesus Wants US to Stop Global Warming, relates climate and energy issues to values Christian Americans hold dear: increased national security, personal and national financial prosperity, America’s continued supremacy as a global superpower, and, of course, the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Whether you believe global warming is happening or not, global warming solutions make sense. The developed world is transitioning from a carbon-fuel economy towards a renewable-energy economy. Consumer preferences, the inevitable regulation of CO2, the innovation of efficiency technologies, and the production of cheap renewable energy are all fueling this transition. As always, firms and industries willing and able to adapt to the changing economic environment will remain competitive; firms and industries unable or unwilling to adapt will fold.
While global warming is often the focal point of energy and environmental politics, peak oil is startlingly left out of the conversation. Peak oil scares me because it’s deleterious effects will be felt in my lifetime. Oil industry executives, petro-geologists, and Saudi Princes agree: The world’s supply of cheap oil is running out. Sometime in the next two decades (if not already), world oil production will begin a slow, steady, and terminal decline. Some predict demand will surpass supply as early as 2015. When this happens, the dominos will begin to fall.
Our complete dependence on an uninterrupted supply of cheap oil cannot be overstated. Our food supply is grown with petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides, planted and harvested with heavy machinery, and then transported thousands of miles in trucks. Rising oil prices mean rising food prices. Any extended interruption in the supply of oil means an interruption in the food supply. Since grocery stores turn over their inventory every three days, we are—as one commentator stated—“nine meals from anarchy.”
The extraction of coal, the manufacture of medicine, our national defense, and our transportation systems all depend completely on the uninterrupted supply of cheap oil. Still, we do nothing to curb demand despite knowing supplies are running out. If we continue failing to act, we will leave our children a world broken of constant scarcity and war. Or, we can profit by implementing solutions. Now as always, the choice is ours.
Tim Mahon is seeking a publisher for Jesus Wants US to Stop Global Warming. He blogs at www.JesusConserves.org