The issue of our time

Whatever you think of President Obama’s surprising Nobel Peace Prize, one thing is certain: It caused a great deal of debate about how his presidential success will be measured. Obama arguably faces a wider set of challenges than any president since FDR: Iraq, Afghanistan and the economy, to name just three. Yet whatever his success in the areas, his presidency may be viewed as a failure if it fails to make significant change on the most crucial issue of our time: how we obtain and use energy.

Whether we know it or not, virtually every facet of daily life in the United States is dependent upon oil. Not only our cars but also our computers, clothing, food and just about anything else you can think of is either made with or transported by fossil fuels.

Although no one knows how much oil is left, it is certain that it is a finite resource. Thanks to the growth of the middle class in countries like China, competition for what oil remains is likely to be fierce in coming decades. If we don’t make major changes now, peak oil [the point at which half of all oil has been used] will be cataclysmic.

President Obama has already shown more leadership on this issue than any president since the otherwise inept Jimmy Carter, but he still has a long ways to go. Energy independence will require far more than building hybrid cars and slapping down a few solar panels or wind turbines. It will require a fundamental restructuring of where we live, what we eat and where we shop.

Tiger Weekly