Oil Distress

Say you are driving along a two lane road, and you find your way obstructed—a large truck has parked where it doesn’t belong. I have noticed in myself and others a tendency to take possession of the left lane, and to expect oncoming cars to wait while I exercise an assumed right to proceed.
The catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico stems from another prerogative we award ourselves—the right to burn up fossil fuel. We all know this, but we are trapped in our way of life, which is the envy of the world, and its despair.
Americans who admit partial responsibility for the unfolding environmental disasters attempt to mitigate their personal impacts. Some take the time to hang their laundry in the sun, or they install solar panels. Others run errands on their bikes, and drive a hybrid car. They prefer locally-grown foods, try to consume less packaging, and recycle all they can. They keep their houses cool in the winter and warmish in the summer. They avoid recreations based on the use of fossil fuel.
Realistically we recognize that such gestures only nibble around the problem’s edges, and that our addiction to cheap energy is tenacious. The need for change came to Americans’ attention way back in 1973, when a Republican president led us to a national speed limit of 55 mph and declared that our security required reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Neither that, nor subsequent crises, have diminished our energy appetite.
The gasoline price spike of two summers ago proved that our behaviors would change based on cost. Why don’t we keep the price high, and reduce the federal deficit, with a gas tax? Because it’s politically impossible. Future citizens—who will suffer the consequences of what we’re doing—can’t vote in the present, and today’s voters will protect their self-declared right to proceed.
When I see seabirds killed by oil that had been on its way to me, I feel my complicity. I reflect that other oil will be brought as a replacement, and that I will keep giving myself permission to go where I want to, when I want to go there. I will continue to take every opportunity to enjoy a life rich in experience and to visit people I love, whether or not they live far away. I will expect access to all information, all the time.
Semi-consciously I will note that my friends and relations take advantage of their access to cheap energy, and I’ll excuse myself with the question, “Who am I to behave differently than others?” Apparently we can’t help ourselves until some unavoidable circumstance forces society-wide change.
Incompetence, negligence, and random mishap affect every human endeavor. As long as fossil fuels are in use, the planet will suffer. But this disaster in the Gulf is especially heart-breaking. I’m sorry to be part of the problem that caused it. I wish we could find our way to serious energy conservation—but our tendency to keep right on going is remarkably strong.
  

Ron McAdow is Executive Director of SudburyValley Trustees.