OPEC and Peak Oil: Global Warming Ain’t The Only Reason to Go Green

Precarious Energy Availability Joins Climate Debate As Reason to Conserve

Deborah Barrow, Founder, The Daily Green

Late August while we were all fixated on the end of yet another summer, this footnote to the endless stream of fear-inducing news from the Middle East was easy to miss:
Saudi Arabia to Set Up Oil Guarding Force

It seems the Saudis, who lay claim to 25% of the world’s known oil fields, are finally as freaked about terrorist attacks to their oil infrastructure as is everyone else in the world. They’re increasing the number of people protecting their many oil fields, miles of pipelines and shipping facilities from the current 5,000 to a reported 35,000. Many of these new guardians of our way of life will be trained by Lockheed Martin, a company that surely doesn’t want the Saudi oil fields to get hit by terrorists, what with it being so hard to fly planes and all with no jet fuel.
Here’s the good news: even with only 5,000 protectors, the Saudis have foiled 180 al-Qaeda operations against their facilities since 2003. Here’s the bad news: the Saudis have foiled 180 al-Qaeda operations against their facilities since 2003.
This week, News Editor Dan Shapley presents The Daily Green’s first look at Peak Oil. We’ve timed it to coincide with OPEC’s September meeting, where all manner of postulations about oil production and prices will fill our screens. We think that regardless of what the OPEC ministers decide about output, it’s time that the discussion about Peak Oil and its implications for this country’s economy, lifestyle as well as the climate debate goes mainstream. It’s far too important not to be discussed around dinner tables nationwide as well as in the presidential debates of this election cycle.

But before everyone gets their knickers in a twist, let me say that IMHO I think there are two kinds of Peak Oil. There’s the Geologic/Economic Peak Oil: the kind defined as the amount of oil left in the ground intersecting with growing global demand. And scientists and oil executives and others far smarter than I have passionate POVs about that, and their arguments pro and con are very entertaining. Scary. But entertaining.

And then there’s Geopolitical Peak Oil, which I define as oil shortages driven by the various political uncertainties in the nations where most of the oil actually lies under the ground. And if you’re paying any attention to this at all, you know there’s a lot of concern. As the Government Accounting Office said in a Peak Oil report just this year (and yes, the GAO has already weighed in) 60% of the world’s oil reserves are “in countries where relatively unstable political conditions could constrain oil exploration and production.”

In other words, a lot of the oil you use to drive to work and farmers use to grow our nation’s critical supply of Cheetos (a shout out here to brilliantly funny and equally frightening James Howard Kunstler) comes from countries where they either hate us, or where others who hate us could take over. You know, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. The usual suspects.

So, the time is now to get conversant about Peak Oil, hedge your bets and go green. It’s the best way to protect the Red, White and Blue. Who can argue with that?