Obama's decree to allow drilling off more of our coastlines doesn't bother me. As long as USA is so dependent on oil, we might as well extract more of it locally.
On the other hand, I like working so locally that I can walk to my job. I never owned a car. Transportation accounts for 2/3 of our oil imports according to part of this blurb that a friend sent me the link to.
Some environmentalists feel that restrictions on oil drilling can force us to kick the habit, but that strategy hasn't seemed to work. Instead, it's like squeezing one part of a balloon that bubbles out another direction. Drilling for our consumption just goes overseas.
If we really want to cut back on oil consumption, as supplies diminish and the price goes up, we need to make living without a car more doable and affordable. I can do it, but my rent is affordable living near the heart of town. Some people can't afford to live where they can do their errands without driving.
We really need to think about affordable living, density, lifestyles, transit and urban planning. Also, of course, greener energy sources, but these transitions take time.
If we have a clear direction toward change, we can still get to a greener future, but since we've floundered on these things over the last 30 years, we've been burning more and more imported oil.
No comments:
Post a Comment