Sustainable Living: An Obscene Reliance on Oil

I read a very interesting excerpt relating to sustainable living and what not striving to obtain that is doing to countries around the globe. Michael C. Ruppert in his 'Confronting Collapse: The Crisis of Energy and Money in a Post Peak Oil World' delves into the full repercussions of being so reliant on mostly oil, but other nonrenewable resources too, and how this effects not only the environment and climate but in fact virtually every other aspect facing the governments and down to the local level.

Ruppert takes us along the time line progression that got us to the current state we are in where sustainable living is becoming not a commodity but a necessity. He shows that when it became a monetary issue that's when leaders took notice, "For almost every city in America oil is the single largest budget item, and in 2005 Denver's oil costs surged by $1.9 billion…Ad hoc networking had begun between many cities around the country to share ideas on efficiency, conservation and alternatives." He goes on to explain that these major cities were buckling under the over strained budgets and their requests for assistance from the federal government were not being answered. This continued and in 2008 things only worsened and lobbyists were sent to Washington to plead their cases.

"We're getting creamed in every direction. The costs of capital improvements are like double-digit inflation. The federal government uses its resources in the most reckless and inappropriate ways," was one outcry. Working to cut their reliance on oil and incorporate sustainable living was a necessary but it was also one monumental task; too heavy a burden to be placed upon the shoulders of city leaders alone. Yet if, as Ruppert writes, "your second awareness is that if localities fail at the bottom, the nation will fail at the top." Just what does this failing look like? "The Montana State Highway Patrol is cutting back on law enforcement patrols because it cannot afford the cost of gasoline…School districts around the nation have begun cutting back to 4-day school weeks because they can no longer afford the fuel for the school buses…Asphalt prices for road maintenance have risen so high that roads are starting to disintegrate, causing damage to private vehicles that fewer venues can afford to repair…All over the country, shelves at local food banks are empty, as food and transportation costs have collided headlong with a collapsing economy…In fact, 90% of U.S. cities are cutting back services because of fuel costs, everything from police to fire and trash pickup has been hit."

Quite a bleak picture Ruppert describes, but luckily that headlong rush into ruins seems to be improving as many individuals, cities, and finally these governments are pushing for more sustainable living. "One bright spot is that many thousands of individuals and families have, on their own, moved to make themselves less dependent upon fossil fuels and outside goods and services," he notes, yet it is difficult to be exactly sure what that combined effort translates to as tracking is still a bit tricky. Obviously we are not in the same position as we were in 2008, thankfully, but we are still by no means out of the woods yet and keeping in mind what was already beginning to be sacrificed is a good way to keep moving forward and adopting these greener habits.

Photo credits: Mikebaird