Spirituality and Ecological Hope

Today from Margaret Swedish:

Wow, talk about fossil fuel dependency…

“energy consumption is indispensable to our standard of living and a necessity for the Army to carry out its mission.”

This quote comes from a report entitled, Energy Trends and Their Implications for Army Installations,” which I discovered by way of the Energy Bulletin Web Site.  The document is a US Army strategic report that addresses the challenge faced by the military because of reaching peak oil worldwide – that is, a diminishing supply of oil in the face of rising demand.

The report delves into the same energy issues that concern many of us – the need to develop renewable energy sources, the reality that there is nothing that can really substitute for oil, the fact that we are headed for a severe energy crunch in the near future.

Apparently the army is reading up on the crisis — not just about peak oil, but the end times for natural gas, coal and uranium as well. "We must act now to develop the technology and infrastructure to transition to other energy sources," says the report.  “Our best options for meeting energy requirements are energy efficiency and renewable sources.  Energy efficiency is the least expensive, most readily available, and environmentally friendly way to stretch our current energy supplies.”

The army report acknowledges that “the outlook for petroleum is not good.”  Meanwhile, “The US Department of Defense (DoD) is the largest oil consuming government body in the US and in the world.”  Looks like there is a problem looming here.

Suffice it to say that this report does not declare itself to be the “official” position of the Army.  But it might say a lot about why the army is in Iraq.  Remember, the administration that invaded is top-heavy with folks from the energy industry.

Here are links to some quick facts about our petroleum based national insecurity, where it comes from, and our military’s oil consumption from our good friends at the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

What brought my attention to this issue was an article in the New York Times last Sunday, “Military Plans Test in Search for an Alternative to Oil-Based Fuel.”  It begins, “When an F-18 lights up its afterburners, it consumes nearly 28 gallons of fuel per minute.”  Last year, the US Air Force “consumed 3.2 billion gallons of aviation fuel.”  Man, and you were complaining about the cost of filling up your gas tank!

Now the military is looking for alternative fuels to blend with gasoline.  Tests will be underway this summer in the Mojave Desert.

Really, does any serious person think the Iraq war is not about oil?  It is like a fantasy for the anti-war folks among us – imagine not having the fuel to put into the fighter jets, aircraft carriers, missiles, and other instruments of war.  At the same time, it is a scary reminder of the desperate competition, in the case of the US by military means, to seize control of the remaining oil reserves and pipeline access – and what this means for more destabilization and violence in many parts of our world.

Instead of following the money, follow the oil…