We’ve become a debtor nation of whiners, complaining about pollution, climate change and energy shortages along with our not unrelated growing national debt. Add to that our angst over terrorism and wars purported to defeat it, and you’re looking at a country that has made very little progress against any of these or the domestic issues like health care that they distract us from. While we’re all glad there have been no further terrorist attacks in this country, in a very real way terrorism has taken its toll on the advancement of our society for the last six years. Osama must be sitting back in his cave enjoying this.
Now, add to these the future concerns posed by unstable leaders in Iran and Venezuela who can hold a good portion of the world’s energy hostage, and ultimately a conflict with China over the earth’s dwindling resources and perhaps it’s time to look for a root cause.
So what do these seemingly solutionless issues have in common? They are all manifestations of the same problem that can be solved: our addiction to burning fossil fuels, primarily oil, for their energy content.
We could be free of Middle East oil in 4-5 years, defeat terrorism without firing another shot, and bring our troops home with the honor they deserve!
Geopolitics of Energy is a blog dedicated to solving one of the more vexing problems of our time: the establishment of a carbonless energy society, an Electric Economy as envisioned by Doc Davidson in Deadly Freedom. Solving this problem will alleviate many of the seemingly solutionless symptoms that plague our nation. The solution will also reestablish our country as a trusted leader of today’s global society, turn our massive trade deficit into a trade surplus, and allow us to focus our resources on other real problems like healthcare and improved education for our children.
This post is meant to be a roadmap or navigation aid for the other posts you will find here. This blog is now open to everyone for moderated commenting. Everyone can register here for free email updates when new articles are posted or current ones updated.
A bit about my background. I have a dual degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Illinois, and a Masters Degree in Computer Science from Northwestern University. I have 30 years of industry experience beginning with IBM Research, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Oracle Corporation, and three startups. My knowledge and experience build on a foundation of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. I have spent the last two years vigorously researching a variety of energy technologies and the geopolitics of energy as it relates to the foreign policies of the largest industrialized nations.
I’m convinced we are still a nation of innovators who can produce the right idea(s) to overcome some very knotty problems. After two years of research I believe the ultimate solution is a strategy for this country with multiple moving parts that are more fully described in my novel. This is your chance to voice your opinion on such a strategy. The rewards for establishing a carbonless energy future will go to our children and theirs; it’s our turn to do the right thing.
The founders of this country did not allow themselves to be bullied by those who would dictate their lifestyle. They certainly would not want us to buckle under similar pressure from those who hold us hostage with their energy resources. One result for them was the Boston Tea Party. Perhaps it’s time for a “Boston Oil Party.”
It’s time to stop whining and solve the problem.
V1.9
6 comments:
So how do we get real leaders into key political offices?
Anonymous: We need to enlist enough people who understand the issues to encourage candidate to also understand the issues.
I hope that once your book is published that your publisher will send you on a round of book signings and interviews! We need to get your ideas circulated far and wide! The battle cry can be, remember this is an election year! It will be interesting to see how the front runners will react to the book! I hope Oprah reads and endorses your book! Chris
Thanks Chris. One reason we decided to wait until the first of the year was to let the field of candidates thin out so they can start focusing on real issues instead of just bashing each other. Book signings are in the works, I’d be honored to sign yours. Would love to meet Oprah. Spread the word, my goal for the book is to go from “currently fiction” to “mostly reality.”
Dave, I think you have the most sensible approach to energy independence I've heard. One addition I would like to add here is the importance of conservation. We are a nation of consumers, and we all have to realize there is a larger price to pay for the things we buy. If we all learn to live with less, I believe it will liberate us from debt, save the environment, and use less of the thing you write about...Energy!
Thanks Mark: I think conservation has a role, but am concerned that some see it as the solution. Let’s look at some numbers. This country currently consumes 21M barrels of oil per day. By the year 2030, we are projected to require 30M barrels/day. Let’s say we figure out a way to conserver 20%, a number that would be phenomenal by anyone’s measure. This means that by 2030 we would still be consuming only 24M barrels/day and be competing with China and India who would have no such incentive. Since oil is a fungible commodity and oil found anywhere can be utilized anywhere else, while our conservation would certainly help our environment, it would not reward us with lower prices or greater availability. When a commodity becomes scarce, whatever we don’t use will be used by someone else…
Dave Spicer
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