The Peak Oil Crisis and Operation Energy Transition
The Peak Oil Crisis is, without question, the most significant crisis facing the United States in the next two decades, and has created a new role for The Initiative: to launch and sustain Operation Energy Transition, a rational societal response to a coming economic tsunami more than capable of precipitating a whole host of non-rational actions by people and nations. Click on the links below to learn about the problem . . .
| Start Here! | |
Watch 1st: |
A 10 minute video providing an overview of the Peak Oil Crisis. Allow 10-20 seconds to download. |
Read 2nd: |
This document synthesizes the basic information found in 4 essential books on the Peak Oil Crisis into a logical argument only seven pages long. High gas prices? So what? Here's "so what" . . . |
A video overview of Operation Energy Transition. Allow 10-20 seconds for video to download. |
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Operation Energy Transition: |
When completed, this will be a detailed description of Operation Energy Transition. |
We respond to the Natural Gas portion of the Pickens Plan. |
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| Learn More: The Problem (Text/Video) | |
| Peak Oil Primer | A Peak Oil overview which details the worst case scenarios. The mission of the Initiative and Operation Energy Transition is to make sure the worst of these scenarios never occur. |
| Tapped Out | Article by National Geographic on our "low oil" future. |
| Wake Up | A motivating article by James Howard Kuntsler. |
| Hirsch Report | An important report on peak oil by Robert Hirsch, published in 2005. |
| Learn More: Other Responses to the Problem (Text/Websites) | |
| IMPORTANT: The Renewables Page: Developments in Solar and Wind |
Read all about the latest in wind and solar . . . with solar thermal and HVDC lines only, this problem may be solved within 15 years!! |
| Prototype Energy Independence Plan | This attempt to envision an energy independence plan was put together by the Willits Economic Localization group in California. Though incomplete from the conservation perspective, it is an excellent prototype for how one community attempts to proactively take responsibility for their energy needs, and not rely on external forces, a key Initiative concept. |
| Plan B 3.0: Moblilizing to Save Civilization | The PDF of environmental thinker Lester Brown's superb book, a Silent Spring for our time. Operation Energy Transition will incorporate many of the ideas in this book. |
| Plan C: Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change | Plan C explores the risks inherent in trying to continue our energy-intensive lifestyle, and shows how each person's individual choices can dramatically reduce CO2 emissions. It offers specific strategies in the areas of food, transportation and housing. |
When famous Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens says "move to wind", a superb idea. He also suggests fueling cars with natural gas, not quite as superb for reasons which we discuss in the second link. |
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| Blueprint 2030 | Energy efficiency through green design. From the Architecture 2030 site (http://www.architecture2030.org/) |
| Oil Depletion Protocol | An excellent idea (requiring international cooperation) to limit oil imports. |
| Learn More: Other Responses (Products) | |
| Hawaii Announces Electric Car Network | Don't recharge your electric car battery, swap it out. |
| Car Sharing Gains Traction | Car sharing story. Great idea. |
| Electric Motorcycles ZeroX |
Link 1: Retrofit a used motocycle to an electric motorcycle, power with your windmill or solar. Watch this video, with Jay Leno interviewing the ZeroX Chief Technical Officer and demoing the motorcycle: |
Reviews of an Excellent Electric Bike |
NPR stories on electric bikes, and a dealer which ships eBikes all across US, and a great dealer in Asheville, NC. |
| Learn More: Less and Undesirable Responses | |
| The Expense of Nuclear | Well-written article by Salon on just how expensive nuclear is, and why renewables are more cost-effective. |