Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A New Country?



[T]he myth that we can become "energy independent and yet remain car-dependent is absurd. In terms of liquid fuels, we're simply trapped. We import two-thirds of the oil we use and there is absolutely no chance that drill-drill-drilling (or any other scheme) will change that. The public and our leaders can not face the reality of this. The great wish for "alternative" liquid fuels (bio fuels, algae excreta) will never be anything more than a wish at the scales required, and the parallel wish to keep all our cars running by other means -- hydrogen fuel cells, electric motors -- is equally idle and foolish. We cannot face the mandate of reality, which is to do everything possible to make our living places walkable, and connect them with public transit. The stimulus bills in congress clearly illustrate our failure to understand the situation.

Everything Still Looks the Same, But We've Become a New Country
James Howard Kunstler

1 comment:

CarFree Stupidity said...

James Howard Kunstler is a great writer and visionary. That statement is so true, we are trapped and will be trapped until circumstances force us to change our ways