Like the hunting dog with his nose to the trail, don't forget to raise your head now and then and check the big picture. Our current food, health, and transportation industries, not to mention our economy are completely vulnerable to increasing oil prices. In case you missed it, yesterday's New York Times Sunday Magazine contained an article on oil discovery prospects in Angola titled "The Will to Drill." It's an interesting article in its own right, but I noted in particular the author's observation that:
"... the industry's faith in a limitless future has begun to diminish. The International Energy Agency - which had until recently been optimistic about oil - concluded last fall that the world has very likely already passed its peak oil production.
The IEA's conclusion that we have probably already passed global Peak Oil was reported a couple months ago but has received relatively little coverage or comment. It deserves more. All of us were born into a world in which oil extraction and use has continually increased. The global perpetual-growth economy is premised on the availability of ever-greater quantities of energy, almost all of which currently comes from fossil fuels. 95% of our motor fuel comes from petroleum. Most of our plastics, pharmaceuticals, and fabrics derive from petroleum. [And most of our food comes from industrial agriculture, which is completely dependent on it.] The world we are now entering -- a world of ever-decreasing petroleum coupled with ever-increasing population -- will be radically different from the one to which we are accustomed. The implications for all aspects of the remainder of our lives (and our childrens') are enormous and deserve serious thought and public discussion."
In my opinion, the impact of Peak Oil on the construction industry in general and the architecture profession in particular will be devastating. We need to learn how to be part of the solution with low-energy construction techniques making adaptive-reuse of existing buildings, salvaged components and local materials, that achieve near zero net energy consumption and contribute to more resilient communities with re-localized food, jobs and services. I think the Transition Town Movement and the many others like it, are on the right track, but architects could be leaders instead of wasting their time with foolishness like LEED.
The article can be found here:
http://www.nytimes. com/2011/ 01/16/magazine/ 16Drilling- t.html -------------------------------------------
George Owen AIA
Sustainability Educator
Pendle Hill
Wallingford PA
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