Come on in – the quicksand’s fine: my part in the energy crisis

…For example, if we wish to boost nuclear power in the teeth of dwindling liquid fuel supplies, we will discover that the “cost” of plant, mining, processing and other infrastructure will become uncomfortably high by present expectations. The more we try (and the more gasoline and diesel we burn in the process) the higher will go the “price” of the essential ingredients. It will be like chasing our own shadows. The same effect will plague the remnants of the oil industry itself.

And once burned, the energy is gone forever.

We could call that the Quicksand Effect.


A more ominous example of the Quicksand Effect is the present method of garnering oil by force of arms. This policy burns huge amounts of precious fuel, sinking us deeper and ever more rapidly. The US Department of Defense is the largest single-entity user (addict) in the world. Every tiny unit operation, from the largest aircraft carrier to a lace in a soldier’s boot, is created and maintained with high-quality energy. This leaves me wondering: Is the US military a high-tech superpower, or do I see a dinosaur stuck in a tar pit?

The harder we try, the more we sink. The faster we run, the more distant our goal … because our energy goal is actually behind us, and there can be no turning back. Shall we slow down, to see if it will catch up? Shall we empty the treasury into the bog in order to get a little more traction?

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