Is the public catching on?

dhfenton · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 8:52 am Post subject: Is the public catching on?

Is it just me, or are others noting that the public is coming around to peak oil? I struck up a conservation with a friend about energy in general, and we talked a bit about peak oil. He seemed to catch on to the concept very quickly, and didn't dismiss PO outright with the "technology fix" argument that used to be the bread and butter of the general public. Another guy listening in also made comments that showed he also beleived that there is a real problem looming.

I think the peaking of Canadian natural gas production has gotten people's attention, and they can relate that to oil production pretty well. It's funny, the guy on the street gets it; but the guys in Washington (except Congressman Bartlett) act like they haven't a clue. It's especially strange because there is no doubt that Matt Simmons has personally briefed Bush and Cheney about the problem; but the concept has never left the President's lips in public that I'm aware of.

FoxV · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 9:21 am Post subject: Re: Is the public catching on?

Doly · Expert Joined: Dec 03, 2004 Posts: 4040

I think the news has been leaking slowly into the media, and by now the average person has heard something, but they don't remember exactly when or where. The concept doesn't sound new any more, so it's easier to accept.

Bush obviously has known for a long, long time. At least as long as he's been planning a war on Iraq. But he's not telling the media. He's given a number of speeches that prove that he's aware of all the energy alternatives. But instead of talking about peak oil, he talks about dependency on foreign oil, which sounds so much more palatable.

Such · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 9:47 am Post subject: Re: Is the public catching on?

It's starting to get through... but the older folks still tend to say "market will solve"... the younger folks (in my experience) have started to talk about it seriously.

dhfenton · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 10:13 am Post subject: Re: Is the public catching on?

I agree with you guys that Bush (and our government in General, I'm not a Bush supporter; but the Dems haven't paid any attention to this problem either) have known about this forever which makes the national energy policy even more puzzling. It does nothing to address PO. I get the feeling that the neo-con answer to the problem is perpetual war. Always have someone else to blame and it's convenient if they have some oil reserves. The lack of a comprehensive strategy is very troubling. I think the public is ready for it, why can't they act a little more responsibly now?

deconstructionist · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:16 am Post subject: Re: Is the public catching on?

yes it does seem to be catching on a bit... one problem is--more mainstream media coverage=more lies, halftruths, and mis-education. more demonization of anything that threatens the concept un-ending future of exponential growth...
_________________
UNLESS

whereagles · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 1:12 pm Post subject: Re: Is the public catching on?

I've been trying to inform people I'm acquainted to of peak oil. The first reaction is to dismiss it via the techno-train, but upon half an hour more of talk, most do agree there will be a problem in the mid-term.

I sure hope the techno-train will solve the issue, but I doubt it.

Dingbat · Tar Sands Joined: Apr 11, 2005 Posts: 24

Here in Quebec, I'm afraid people are too busy with the daily diversions (local media and culture takes up alot of mindspace here) to really take up and take notice. The price spikes (1.15$ CDN a liter here) are seen more like a conspiracy of big oil to shaft the little guy as opposed to a real supply problem.

I _think_ the provincial government is dimly aware of the looming problem, they scrapped a thermal electrical generation plant (The Suroit project - natural gas fired plant) in favor of a windmill park instead (3000 MW) so I think there are some people that are cluefull.

As far as the Federal government is concerned, I think they are too busy with their petty (minority government) bickering to really even care, while Alberta's tar sands are getting sold off the highest bidder <sigh>.

So AFAIK, Canada is a basket case. Only saving grace in Quebec at least is that 97% of our electrical needs are coming from renewables (hydro). I think we have one or two thermal plants [gas] and one nuclear power station [Gentilly2].

- Dingbat.

seldom_seen · Fission Joined: Apr 12, 2005 Posts: 2038

They're certainly catching on to high gas prices.

As to if they're catching on to ecological limits, overshoot, hubbert's peak, jevon's paradox and the inherent insanity of the expand-or-expire techno-industrial empire, not sure myself?

I guess the growth of this site would be a good benchmark as to the growing awareness of PO. Last time I checked both "Twilight in the Desert" and "The Long Emergency" were in the top 100 on Amazon. So it seems that people that read books are becoming more aware.

zceb90 · Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:13 am Post subject: Re: Is the public catching on?

I was playing Bridge (card game for those unfamiliar) with a new partner this week and I mentioned (North Sea) depletion. He immediately volunteered the comment 'in 10 years time many of us will be either driving a lot less or no longer driving as fuel will be scarce and v expensive'. He was also both surprised and appalled that politicians were ignoring the subject (he believed in case of UK this was more down to ignorance and denial than anything more deliberate).

I was surprised to find out just how familiar he was with the subject of depletion until he told me he was a mud engineer (drilling). In other words someone 'close to the coal face' believes we have a big problem.
_________________
Chris

medicvet · Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:25 pm Post subject: Re: Is the public catching on?

4dsc · Tar Sands Joined: Apr 03, 2005 Posts: 31

The public is only catching on to the fact that their gasoline bill is going up! I travel across this county weekly and I have to hire help whereever I go I try to bring up Peak oil and oil depletion to gage their reactions and questions. Mostly young people all say the same thing: "THEY WILL THINK OF SOMETHING". Unbelievable that their answers are almost universal.. But when I ask them who is "they" I of course don't get a response.. The invisble hand has been hand feeding the sheeple for so long that only a major crisis will ever get them to think outside the box!! And that's what I believe PO people are doing right now, thinking outside the box..

spudbuddy · Heavy Crude Joined: Jul 28, 2005 Posts: 150

Catching on?
You betcha!
Don't kid yourself- Folks were probably sitting around in Washington 50 years ago discussing this...and it ramped up considerably 30 years ago (which is why the political side of this is absolutely unconscionable.)
Somewhere between Reagan and George the 1st it all got away on them.
Makes globalism look like the absolute globaloney it is.

I'd say this site represents a very tiny fraction of the people who actually are aware...(how many people who believe in God or some kind of higher power actually go to church?)

A big part of the problem- is how many people see the big picture.
Peak oil in itself is maybe 100 pieces of a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle (albeit a very important part.)

Running out of oil doesn't mean a whole lot until a person begins to understand what that really means...that there is no replacement for the easy and cheap energy it provides.

How many people really understand the imperative of downscaling?
How many people absolutely believe that downscaling will automatically result in worldwide recessions and economies tilting?
How many people find it almost impossible to imagine an economic order based on anything other than what we have now?

I think part of the problem...is that too many imagine a complete jump from the current way of doing things...to something that resembles a Mad Max movie.

However many people come to an awareness and understanding of peak oil in the future...I think one of the biggest tell-tale signs will be a public demand for alternative transportation.
That's the sign I'm looking for.

MD · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:16 am Post subject: Re: Is the public catching on?

You are all expecting governments to understand and agree with your opinions on depletion. You err in forgetting that your opinion is still in the minority. Government still gives much credence to CERA, EIA, and BP.

"There's trillions and trillions of barrels. Nothing to see here, move on."
_________________
"It's still all about energy!"

Schultz: I see NOTHING! I know NOTHING!

md@peakoil.com