American Oil Dependency

Filed in archive Peak Oil , World on April 15, 2006

Dependency on oil is not just a potential American problem it's a potential global problem. Oil dependant economies are predicated on a cheap, abundant source of oil. Oil may be controlled by major companies who have political ties at the highest levels but the current supply crunch may be less based on politics and more based on the fact that oil supply is limited and demand is ever growing especially as China and India are demanding more and more oil.

Now throw geologist predictions into the mix. They predict that oil production will soon hit its peak and then will begin an irreversible decline. More demand and less supply it's not hard to speculate about our energy future; consider East Africa.

The potential energy situation threatens to undermine East Africa more than most other countries. They have a goal of attaining industrialization in the early part of the 21st century. However, the manufacturers in the region say that energy accounts for close to half of their total production costs. Without relatively cheap alternatives this region will not leap into the 21st century as their growth and development is closely tied to traditional sources. This exemplifies just one of the many economies that would suffer without alternative.

Over the next fifty years geologists and economists alike predict our supplies of fossil derived will be serverly strained... and at the extreme end some say the wells will be dry. What kinds of new energy should we be looking at? How can economies like East Africa fuel their future? What are the best cheap and sustainable alternatives? Can any of these alternatives provide us with the same standard of living that we presently enjoy?