Like most kiwis I was blithely unaware of the issue of global oil depletion, until my son Simon got me interested. Simon wrote an article about N.Z. oil prices in 2007 and another paper about oil depletion in 2008.
As I began to read more about the issue, I was astounded at the minuscule coverage the subject received in our mainstream media. Most politicians and mainstream economists ignore the subject like the plague.
Yet from what I was reading oil depletion means much higher oil prices, petroleum scarcity, & serious impacts on our way of life & New Zealand's economy within 5 years, maybe sooner. The body of evidence, from highly respected research institutions, oil industry experts, US and German military... even the International Energy Agency on which our government relies, was compelling. And in the last 6 months there has been a flood of reports, all pointing to another global oil shock happening within 5 years.
I am an optimistic, calm and (mostly ?) rational person. I am not inclined to believe that peak oil means apocalypse now and that the end of the world is nigh. But all the evidence suggests oil depletion will mean much tougher times. So I am not waiting for the politicians to wake up and start mitigation efforts, or for the media to report the issue in any depth. I figure I need to take steps myself so that my home and community are more resilient.
I have joined Transition Towns, and changed my car to a fuel efficient model. I have started to develop a large organic vegetable garden and orchard in my backyard, and joined Oooby to help upskill my food growing knowledge. I have investigated solar hotwater and solar power for my house, and given talks to various groups about oil depletion and its implications for kiwis. I wrote an opinion piece which was published in the NZ Herald last year. I made a submission on the governments Draft Energy Strategy.
Any questions/comments? ... email me at oilshockhorrorprobe AT gmail.com
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