new discovery channel series

Everyone's been talking about this show, which premiered last Sunday on the Discovery Channel. I didn't get to see it...we don't have Discovery channel, mostly because if we did then we'd watch it all day long. But I am hoping to catch at least some of this series...all the episodes will be showing again on April 22.

ethanol: the same old problem

I can't believe people are still saying this and not paying attention to the real questions connected with biofuels. Ethanol is THE answer?!? Not so much...maybe an answer, but a very small one. Another article today pointed out a few of the reasons why, but I won't reiterate them, because I've probably ranted enough.

Instead, I'll be positive and uplifting. I thought it was funny that the second article about ethanol had a section at the bottom about obesity in South Africa and the new market for gyms, because my solutions for transportation energy and obesity are one and the same thing.

(Isn't it beautiful? That's what Matt gave me for an anniversary present yesterday.)

repentance is change

The quote for today in my google homepage is one of my favorites from Upton Sinclair: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it." This clever insight could be the refrain of our generation.

I am always amazed by the stories people will tell themselves in an effort to avoid any necessity for changing their lifestyle. It should be expected of the world, I guess, but isn't the heart of the Christian message repentance--continual, repeated repentance? In other words, change. You can't be a Christian and stay attached to the status quo.

In the article I linked to above, Alan Caruba claims that oil isn't running out, that fossil fuels aren't linked to global warming, and that big oil is helpful to world peace and prosperity. Anyone who objectively looks at the facts will have no problem refuting his claims. But plenty of people will have a very hard time even looking at, much less accepting, any facts that suggest that they should change. Human nature is hardwired to resist change; perhaps that is part of the reason why it is such an integral and essential part of the Christian faith. Often, the very thing we hate and fear the most is the very thing we most need.

politics and climate change

I know I say I'm all about local initiatives, but, well, there's still a part of me that has a hard time not getting excited about this. It's just cool to hear famous people, and people in power, talking about things I care about.

And it's especially exciting when I think about what's happening in Atlanta and all over the country on April 14, and how that might affect Congress's response to all the bills they're looking at right now on climate change.

Are politics a good answer to our environmental problems? Maybe. The best answer? Definitely not. But they can at least be a step in the right direction.

oh the irony

Here's something ironic. Melting ice in the Artic, in addition to destroying polar bear habitats and raising sea levels, could also open up new shipping routes in the region--making it easier and less expensive to get Artic oil. Is this some strangely twisted version of poetic justice? Talk about a feedback loop.

The real question is, how far will we go down this path before we start thinking about other species and generations besides ourselves?

relocalization

I've believed for a long time now that relocalization is one of the most important--maybe even the only--key to combating many of our environmental ills. That's one of the reasons why I'm always particularly excited when I see things like this--and any time I see local governments and organizations taking steps to correct problems. It's often all too easy for us to pawn off responsibility on someone else. But, well, if we don't do something, who will? Lead, and the rest will follow.

In America, globalization and free-for-all capitalism have become so closely associated with Christianity that it's hard for many people to separate them. This is a mystery to me, because in my mind they are at best uneasy bedfellows, and more often outright enemies. Isn't it still true that anyone who's a friend to the world is an enemy of God? So when did globalization become sacrosanct?

I could write a lot about the negative side of this argument, but I wanted to focus on the positive side, which is localization. Which is something I've tasted--literally--this Lent, although not quite as much as I had hoped. Nevertheless, I think I'm learning something.

Because, for the first time in my life, I'm starting to realize what it means to be fully present where I am. I remember hearing a lot about this when I was a kid (the saying "Bloom where you're planted" comes to mind) and always feeling annoyed by it. I probably heard it so much because I was, deep down, always so utterly opposed to it. Grownups always seem to see these things in children, and do their best to correct them. My mother used to describe me as "the child with the faraway eyes"; I was always dreaming of exotic adventures in distant lands, foreign languages and beautiful strangers. I've never dreamed of settling down.

And, well, I'm not ready to buy a home yet or anything like that. But I am beginning to appreciate the necessity of place. I'm beginning to realize how important it is to be where you are, and to stay, at least for a while. To put down roots, to be part of a community, to know your neighbors. You can blame my slow awakening to the beauty of these things on the fact that I'm getting older, if you like, or on the fact that I'm married now. These things might be factors, but the real reason has more to do with my efforts for the environment than with anything else. It has to do with my attempts to eat locally, to walk and bike rather than drive. These actions have forced me to know where I live. They have forced me to be where I am. They have cut the cords of escape; they have placed me here and kept me in this place. And being here, I'm learning more and more to be a part of it. Being here, I'm learning more and more to love it. Like Chesterton, I am learning to fly the flag of Notting Hill, or of Midtown or of Grant Park, proudly.

more on peak oil

Here's another article about biofuels, ethanol, and the price of corn. But what really struck me about it was a casual remark in the middle of the article:

The driver behind this sudden switch to growing corn is the fact that world oil supplies have peaked.

!?!?!

The Scotsman, it would seem, has made up its mind, and no longer has any real doubt about the issue.

Meanwhile, of course, American news sources are still unable to see beyond their noses, and are eagerly discussing the demise of peak oil. Even the Grist, an environmental magazine, has stopped believing in it. The numbers, however, seem to say otherwise. My, my...won't we all look silly soon, when the truth becomes clear?

Dobson's criticism of Cizik

If you've been following evangelicals and the environment, then you've probably come across this letter to the National Association of Evangelicals. There are twenty-five signers, but James Dobson is getting most of the credit for the letter, which criticizes Richard Cizik, the vice president of the NAE, for his outspoken leadership on environmental issues.

There are hundreds of responses that could be--and probably have been--made to this attack, but in the interest of time, I'm just going to tackle one paragraph. Though the letter mostly addresses the issue of global warming, which Dobson and the other signers believe is an issue that the NAE should steer clear of, they surprised me by mentioning an even more controversial issue in this brief paragraph:

"Mr Cizik," they write, "not only believes that global warming is an indisputable fact, but he also holds related views that he has not been willing to reveal to the membership at large. In an alarming speech...he said: 'I'd like to take on the population issue...But population is a much more dangerous issue to touch. We need to confront the population issue and we can--we're not Roman Catholics, after all--but it's too hot to handle now.' We ask, how is population control going to be achieved if not by promoting abortion, the distribution of condoms to the young, and even by infanticide in China and elsewhere? Is this where Richard Cizik would lead us?"

I was expecting the argument about global warming, but I confess I was shocked by this remark about population control. Do Dobson and his friends really think that abortion and condoms are the only means of population control? Whatever happened to self-control? Abstinence? Or have they given up already on the Christian approach to sex ed? I can usually find at least some common ground with their perspective, but I have to admit I'm utterly at a loss to understand how abortion became the only viable method of population control for evangelicals.

And I hate to be overly critical of Dobson--I think enough environmentalists have probably done that--but the best explanation I can come up with for this strange accusation is that it's just another example of the Americanization of Christianity. We have to have everything we want, and now; self-denial, or self-limitation, are simply not options. It's a very American view. But it's not in any way a Christian one.

apologies

This is just a note to apologize for my negligence in posting for the past week. We moved last weekend, and then had family in town, so life has been busy for a while...but it's getting back to normal now.

Sadly, my attempt at eating local food has crumbled under the pressures of moving. It took me a week to unpack my kitchen, and I cooked for the first time yesterday. On the bright side, we did find a locally-owned restaurant, Dakota Blue, just two blocks from our new house...does that count?

has saudi arabian oil peaked?

I know I posted about this yesterday, but this article on The Oil Drum was just too good to pass up. Go read it now. At least look at the charts. Because if this is even half-true, then peak oil really is upon us.

And it's a bit awful of me, but I can't seem to stop myself from gloating a bit internally at the sight of this graph, which seems to put peak right where I thought it would be: late 2005 or early 2006. But on second thought, it's not really that awful of me. Peak oil, if handled right, will be good for our society in so many ways: better communities, less selfishness, less materialism, and more cooperation. Or it could mean more wars, famines, and rumors of wars. Like most situations, it all depends on how we react to it.

coming report on peak oil

First Matthew Simmons, now Roscoe Bartlett and a Government Accountability Office report say that oil has already peaked. My money's still on late 2005 or early 2006; I think that the history book (if there are any) will eventually pick then as the date of peak oil. But don't quote me; I'm not an expert.

local lent: the fourth noodle

Why do I keep writing noodles? she wondered to herself. I don't even eat noodles.

Last night for dinner we had this recipe. I used black radishes (from Sevananda) in addition to the baby turnips from the farmer's market, and green peppers (also from Sevananda) instead of snap peas. And no ginger. It was a bit...bland. My husband is getting pretty tired of this local food thing; it's hard to get much variety. And I'm beginning to understand why we prefer to eat summer vegetables year-round. Most of them taste better. I do like rutabagas, though.