2.20.2006

[Comics] Dilbert makes a point about oil


Sunday's Dilbert cartoon (this image linked from news.yahoo.com) has Dogbert making a valid point.

from the mind of Pernox at 10:11

3 comments:

AllThingsSpring said...
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Monday, February 20, 2006 12:40:00 PM
AllThingsSpring said...

Uh, maybe not. As world oil production peaks and starts decline, the demand for oil begins to outstrip any potential supply. Oil producing nations will take care of their own needs first and as the cost of oil rises, countries will likely end up with long term production contracts for guaranteed minimal oil supplies. When the price of oil skyrockets, and there will never be enough for the already industrial world, much less developing nations, the Middle Eastern suppliers can just say that they will only sell to the Chinese, or whoever, and not the US (since they don't like us, and China's money is as good or better that ours is). Now the Chinese could go and turn around and sell us that oil they were sold, but since their whole developing economy depends on it and because demand will exceed supply, oil ceases to be a fungible commodity and becomes a limited resource. Food isn't a fungible commodity if your whole population is starving, and neither is oil in global production decline. I suggest The Oil Drum for more ongoing technical background information.

For the record, we don't have to get off foreign oil sources; we have to get off ALL FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY (this is likely an even bigger deal with natural gas, since LNG transport is a big deal). If the solution is not sustainable, then it isn't a real solution (coal is stopgap, heck even non fossil fuel uranium for reactors has a limited useful supply). We still burn through the world's annual production of new oil every 16 hours or so. If the globe moves to some sustainable non-fossil fuel energy to run our economies (and I would very much like to know what that would be), then terrorist-states don't get much funding at all because oil ceases to be worth much (given that things like cars run on X instead of petrol)

Also, taking advice from cartoonist Scott Adams regarding peak oil is like taking advice from novelist Michael Chrichton regarding global warming.

Monday, February 20, 2006 12:41:00 PM
Pernox said...

My point, which was missed, is that this issue is starting to gain critical mass. If you see it in cartoons like Dilbert, then you know it is starting to surface to mainstream consciousness levels.

I was shocked to see this in something like Dilbert which is not usually topical, or political. I expect it in Doonesbury yes, but not here.

Also everyone should note that we are not really researching alternative energy. Bush saying so doesn't make it real. Remember when he said we were going to give money to Africa for AIDS? Remember all the strings attached? Probably not since the strings attached did not make it into big news.

Bush is saying alternative energy because gas prices are high and it is an election year. This is classic GOP bait-n-switch. Also expect other emotional issues such as 'immigrates taking US jobs' as well as the usual dose of 'be afraid, if we aren't in power, you won't be safe!'.

Speaking of the immigration issue, I can already see the pieces lining up in Minnesota, expect all the GOP candidates to push that button repeatedly. The State is in decline not because we haven't funded anything or because the State leadership (which is controlled by the GOP in the House and Governorship, and an impedement in the Senate), but because of illegal immigrants living (and working and paying taxes) in this State.

Monday, February 20, 2006 2:34:00 PM

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