By BJ Bjornson
Via Kevin Drum, I notice that concerns regarding the world�s oil supply are again intruding into the public�s consciousness. No real surprise given we�ve probably passed peak oil production already, and more of a primer for what is certain to become more frequent and expensive oil shocks in the future.
That�s the bad news. The good news is that there are some people who can see the writing on the wall and actively working to prepare for a future without cheap oil.
EU nations must invest more in energy efficiency and green technologies in order to retain economic advantages, the European Commission has urged.
. . .
''We need to start the transition towards a competitive low carbon economy now," said EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard.
"The longer we wait, the higher the cost will be.
"As oil prices keep rising, Europe is paying more every year for its energy bill and becoming more vulnerable to price shocks. So starting the transition now will pay off."
It�s nice to see that there can be a reasonably adult conversation regarding the economic realities of continuing to try to continue our proliferate use of fossil fuels outside of the admittedly severe climate issues. It would be even nicer if we could have even a hint of such a conversation on this side of the Atlantic.
It has been one of the big puzzlers to me how unusually united the business community in North America has been on this issue. After all, outside of the fossil fuel industry itself, nearly every other business stands to lose massively as their costs rise and the economy stumbles and shudders to a halt under the strain of ever-increasing transport and energy costs. As such, you would think that it wouldn�t be too hard to find support for a move towards renewables and greater efficiency standards.
You�d be wrong. And as a result, our transition to a post-fossil fuel economy is going to be a lot more painful, traumatic and expensive than Europe�s is likely to be.
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