[lexicon]

I posted this as a reply, but I think this question needs it's own thread, just to try to inspire creativity on everyone's part here.

I thought it was great last summer when National Geographic did a story on it, and I thought the recent AP article, which was reported on CNN Headline News yesterday (albeit in an extremely abridged 30 second version that did not refer to Deffeyes by name, only profession) was certainly a first for cable news. But it's nowhere near enough to make Peak Oil the household phrase it needs to be to wake people up to the reality that faces them.

I'm compiling a list of things that needs to happen on MSM (Mainstream Media) for Peak Oil to gain this kind of profile:

1. Peak Oil on the cover of Time. They need to take this as seriously as they took the environment in the 90's.

2. Front page of NY Times. They need to do a multi-day series like Canada's Globe and Mail just did to wake America up.

3. 60 Minutes should do an expose like they did to the cigarette industry on The Insider. Tie Peak Oil in with the travesty of oil companies cooking the books to hide the truth about the nearness of the approach of the peak of world oil production.

4. The cable networks (CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc.) need to make this a permanent part of the public discourse. Do Hannity or Colmes even have an opinion beyond the party line of silence? Why can't Lou Dobbs make this issue a permanent feature of his show like he does with outsourcing? Surely Olbermann has the balls to take this on if he had the knowledge.

5. The networks need to feature Peak Oil experts on their Sunday morning political shows. Can you imagine Matthew Simmons spilling the beans on Saudi Arabia on Face the Nation? Well, I can dream anyway.

Does anyone else have any ideas they can add on how MSM can make Peak Oil of primary concern to America, or any ideas on how WE can force MSM to focus on Peak Oil the way that they should?

[RonMN]

Even if ALL of that happened...all the non believers would say "Hmmm, somebody should really do something about that".

These people just simply are not going to wake up until reality bites them in the tukas!

[Tyler_JC]

Or possibly worse, everyone might take it seriously and send the economy spinning .

[Such]

Simmons has been a pretty regular guest on CNBC. I've seen Darley on there too. Defeyyes had a debate (of sorts - moderated and very short) with Daniel Yergin about oil, they were pretty much in agreement about everything except the date of peak... Defeyyes said Thanksgiving 2005, Yergain put it closer to 2020.

In a sense they could both be right... if we kind of reach a bumpy plataeu out for the next 10-15 years or so before really declining permanently.

[lexicon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RonMN', 'E')ven if ALL of that happened...all the non believers would say "Hmmm, somebody should really do something about that".

These people just simply are not going to wake up until reality bites them in the tukas!

[lexicon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Such', 'S')immons has been a pretty regular guest on CNBC. I've seen Darley on there too. Defeyyes had a debate (of sorts - moderated and very short) with Daniel Yergin about oil, they were pretty much in agreement about everything except the date of peak... Defeyyes said Thanksgiving 2005, Yergain put it closer to 2020.

In a sense they could both be right... if we kind of reach a bumpy plataeu out for the next 10-15 years or so before really declining permanently.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hey need to take this as seriously as they took the environment in the 90's.

[RonMN]

We simply cannot sustain the price of oil right now...it's slowly but surely eating away our economies...and still people don't see it.

Honey, our grocery bill trippled...well it's the republican's fault...no it's the democrats fault...no you're eating too much!

[lexicon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'O')r possibly worse, everyone might take it seriously and send the economy spinning .

[PhilBiker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ow can Peak Oil STAY mainstream?

[linlithgowoil]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')e simply cannot sustain the price of oil right now...it's slowly but surely eating away our economies...and still people don't see it.

[chris-h]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PhilBiker', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ow can Peak Oil STAY mainstream?

[thegrq]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he networks need to feature Peak Oil experts on their Sunday morning political shows. Can you imagine Matthew Simmons spilling the beans on Saudi Arabia on Face the Nation? Well, I can dream anyway.

[lexicon]

I think that the problem with this is that the networks would see it as being too 1 sided. In the interest of being balanced, they would want to find somebody who supports peak oil and somebody who doesn't. The same thing is happening with global warming, most networks will not interview a scientist who supports global warming without interviewing somebody who does not support global warming, and this just confuses people.[/quote]

I agree, that's a good comparison. You'll not only see people coming on saying that we've got another 40 years of oil left, we may also see the abiotics coming out into the open. That's all we need is having the whole country entertaining the notion that we have a "bottomless well".

[Chichis]

Of course the smart thing to do would be to prepare, whether it was 5 years or 50 years off. But the fact is that humanity as a whole is about as smart as a rock, with little ability to coorporate and plan for the future.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('linlithgowoil', ' ')if the choice is between freezing/starving to death now, or being drowned under rising seas in 50 years, i'll choose the latter.

[lexicon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hey need to take this as seriously as they took the environment in the 90's.