Last night I was watching the news. I heard (and saw) reports of hundred-mile back-ups of people in cars attempting to escape Houston, many of them running out of gas while stalled in traffic, and most of the gas stations along the route out of gas.
Then there were images and reports of oil refineries abandoned to Hurricane Rita. Most of the oil produced in the U.S. is refined along the Texas-Louisiana coast.
There was a report that gas prices would probably go up as a result.
There was no report, however, on the connection between the burning of fossil fuels, which causes global warming, which causes monster storms like Hurricane Katrina and Rita.
It's all about oil, folks. Monster storms, and wars in the Middle-East (and subsequent terrorism)--and so many other things (the key-board I'm tapping into, the screen I'm peering at).
Some experts say we're going to run out of that oil within 50 years, and we haven't even begun to prepare for it. After the oil is gone, the houses might still be left standing, but the world will be devastated--far worse than what a mere hurricane or two could cause.
Unless we start preparing ourselves. Using less gasoline and oil, using alternative fuels, using natural fibers (most of the synthetics are made with oil), growing and eating organic food (most of the fertilizers and pesticides are made with oil), learning to live with less power.
In this case, as in so many others, it will be a matter of, in the words of Gandhi, "if the people lead, the leaders will follow." Because right now our leaders are not leading us, not on this issue anyway. Or if they are leading us, it's right into the path of the hurricane...
All that said, my prayers are with those in the path of the latest hurricane, and I hope it avoids heavily populated areas.
Posted by jeb at September 23, 2005 4:40 PM | TrackBack