Maybe mythology will help some people, come to grips with energy policy and our environment, but it's likely that the type of people that read articles like the one in Orion don't need help understanding what is, and will happen to our environment, as much as people who depend on TV, or some other mainstream single-viewpoint source, for information.
Not to be a doomsdayer but I can't help but think as a society we have very little capability for dealing with serious complex issues, that are not immediately threatening, in ways that offer potential for real progress. We have highly developed denial skills, or emergency-response skills and less well developed future-planning skills. Even though some in the mainstream media are telling us Climate Change Is Hazardous To Your Health we see very little in the way of governmental policy change to address these issues. Not surprising given the success of electing candidates who run on an environmentally-friendly platform vs. the candidates that are forced to kowtow to the money/power conglomeration that runs America.
Listening to President Bush talk about his non-plan for energy is a case in point. Increasing our use of ethanol is not a solution to the peak in oil production, rising world demand for oil or the effect of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere. How can an energy policy not address federally mandated vehical gas mileage requirements? We need real policies that maximize energy from solar, wind, geothermal, wave, and nuclear sources.
I pulled this from a Forbes article on oil -
"We are consuming oil faster this year than previously thought--and there's no sign of slowing down. In fact, the International Energy Agency (IEA) now forecasts that the world will consume 115.4 million barrels per day by 2030, up from 82.1 million barrels per day in 2004."
Even the oil conglomerates like BP Chevron are telling us we need to reduce our dependence on oil - by conservation, driving more fuel efficient cars, and planning our cities wisely. Aside from the effects on the environment due to greenhouse gases the fact that the world consumes two barrels of oil for every barrel discovered and oil consumption is expected by some to grow 40% in the next twenty years, would seem to be a wake up call for people strictly from an economic basis.
Beyond economics, but certainly related, is the impact on peaceful coexistance of the world's people as competition for an ever shrinking natural non-renewable resource grows.
At some point we will have to decide what's really important. We can't have it all.
