My online friend who keeps me abreast of Peak Oil issues thinks a regional Op-Ed piece in Connecticut is not worth blogging about.
I disagree.
Consider the history of anthropogenic global warming (AGW).
In 1988, AGW was not discussed much beyond the climate science community. That was the year then Tennessee U. S. Senator Al Gore called James Hansen to testify about the issue before his Senate committee.
It got a little press at the time, and no doubt generated some op-ed commentaries in regional newspapers, but it took about ten years before the broader public became aware of the issue, even though Gore had become Vice President and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was publishing its early reports.
Nearly another decade has passed since then, and the world is still not addressing the AGW issue fully. As the polar regions warm and the risk of serious environmental and economic consequences of AGW become more clear, it is likely that governments will act more urgently soon.
Peak Oil is only now beginning to creep onto the radar screens of politicians, and the most forward-looking ones are calling for action.
For example, Connecticut State Representative Terry Backer and State Senator Bob Duff have just written an op-ed piece in the Connecticut Post entitled “Peak oil: We ignore it at our peril.”
Their point is that we cannot wait five or ten years to start talking about the appropriate political response to this geological/economical fact of life. Its impact will become evident very soon, and the solution will be complicated by efforts to address AGW as well.
I urge you to share the Connecticut legislators’ call for action with your representatives in state and national government. Get off your “Duff” and become a “Backer” of initiatives that recognize the coming impact of Peak Oil.
To follow the issue more closely rather than relying on this mere blogger and author to get your attention, my online friend and I recommend The Oil Drum website.
