Energy Crisis: What are you doing to help?

[Jim Kelly]

I remember the "Energy Crisis" from the Ford administration--good times, but isn't it going a bit too far with the nostalgia craze? You'd think we would have learned our lesson back then and not gone on living from crisis to crisis and rather devised a plan for energy stability into the future. Why would the nations of the world be so dependent on energy from places that cannot be depended upon? Not a very smart way to run a world.

[DanMad1977]

I remember the "Energy Crisis" from the Ford administration--good times, but isn't it going a bit too far with the nostalgia craze? You'd think we would have learned our lesson back then and not gone on living from crisis to crisis and rather devised a plan for energy stability into the future. Why would the nations of the world be so dependent on energy from places that cannot be depended upon? Not a very smart way to run a world.

Because someone made a lot of money with that decisions. Ask our old Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder who made a pact with Gazprom many years ago.

Every choice is driven by money. Imagine you would make more money with saving the planet than destroying the planet....

[CSTowle]

Maybe a suggestion thread instead of a bragging thread would be nice, tips on how to conserve. Nothing crazy like condensing the population into urban centers and eliminating personal vehicles, living in pods, taking cold showers, or replacing beef/pork/poultry with insect meat but reasonable small measures that can be taken for those who would like to contribute.

And keeping in mind personal measures (even collectively) are a marginal help compared to reforming how business/industry operates. We can maintain a relatively decent standard of living and conserve energy and resources if we can summon the political will to invest in renewable energy, reform factory farming, stop exploiting the third world for labor and resources, as well as doing our part individually.

Unfortunately political will usually comes when people feel threatened, and most people have always done what's convenient/comfortable until forced to do otherwise. Take a look at the most popular vehicles before and after the '70s gas crisis. Honestly, outside of patting yourself on the back you're probably bringing us closer to a solution to these problems by continuing to live in excess and helping to hasten a crisis that forces our hand. But you won't get internet points for it.

[Phoenixx9]

Where exactly were you visiting where you witnessed this? I've never seen many people doing this in Texas or Florida or heard of it happening honestly.

Yes, this happens all over. When you hear a story about a child abducted that was sleeping in the back of a car that was stolen, many times the parent left the vehicle running while they went into a convenience store.

[Dalak]

Yes, this happens all over. When you hear a story about a child abducted that was sleeping in the back of a car that was stolen, many times the parent left the vehicle running while they went into a convenience store.

I know it happens in the small scale, my issue is with "many people" doing it, for some reason I pictured multiple people doing it at once. Leaving a car running without someone in it is begging for your car to be stolen as you've described and wastes so much gas, it's hard to believe that people who are pinching their pennies over inflation would do something like that. Of course it wouldn't be the first time people make their problems worse by more bad decisions, myself included.

[shooshoomanjoe]

I know it happens in the small scale, my issue is with "many people" doing it, for some reason I pictured multiple people doing it at once. Leaving a car running without someone in it is begging for your car to be stolen as you've described and wastes so much gas, it's hard to believe that people who are pinching their pennies over inflation would do something like that. Of course it wouldn't be the first time people make their problems worse by more bad decisions, myself included.

Maybe people warming up their car before going to work in the AM? I don't see it often as I used 15 years or so.

[Dalak]

Maybe people warming up their car before going to work in the AM? I don't see it often as I used 15 years or so.

Well Dan was talking about visiting areas in Florida, and I'm fairly sure it freezes less here than when I lived in central Texas so I don't think that was related. Still, I can see the need when the windshield is frozen over.

[DanMad1977]

Well Dan was talking about visiting areas in Florida, and I'm fairly sure it freezes less here than when I lived in central Texas so I don't think that was related. Still, I can see the need when the windshield is frozen over.

My guess is the air conditioner because it was hot outside.

[4theEarth]

Because someone made a lot of money with that decisions. Ask our old Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder who made a pact with Gazprom many years ago.

Every choice is driven by money. Imagine you would make more money with saving the planet than destroying the planet....

Saw this thread above and decided to take a look. Awesome that it might take a crisis to get people to conserve but this bit is really insightful about how short term thoughtful humanity is when money decides.

I became a vegetarian years ago in hope that it would be a part of change of food system at a grassroots level. It was naive I now know. Money interests being just one of the roadblocks. Anyone ever think of it as a movement rather than just a personal choice?

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...et-environment

[DanMad1977]

Many personal choices can lead to a movement.

Capitalism is the reason why we are living the luxury life we have right now.

With medicine, health care, surgery beyond belief, 100.000 Dollar cars, planes, skyscraper, running water, toilets etc etc

And capitalism is the reason why we destroy the earth, because anything has a price.

[Frobisher]

Many personal choices can lead to a movement.

Capitalism is the reason why we are living the luxury life we have right now.

With medicine, health care, surgery beyond belief, 100.000 Dollar cars, planes, skyscraper, running water, toilets etc etc

And capitalism is the reason why we destroy the earth, because anything has a price.

Economics calls this “negative externalities” so it can be ignored by the models, but the thing about negative externalities is that somebody always end up paying for them eventually. And it’s not going to be the billionaires.

[4theEarth]

Economics calls this “negative externalities” so it can be ignored by the models, but the thing about negative externalities is that somebody always end up paying for them eventually. And it’s not going to be the billionaires.

Is it that false duality the very mechanism for the ideology of Capitalism and its claims on "reality"? On the one hand it claims a science of "economics" as being circumscribed to economic activity yet basically says that all human activity is based on its science. Statements like "rational choice" and rational actors seek to define reality as a specific kind of reality that is based on these economic outcomes not life values and conditions. Even Behavioral economics attempts to explain activity that is outside/aberrant the rational within the economic/positive framing.