A cross-country trip in times of peak oil fear

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A cross-country trip in times of peak oil fear

October 30, 2005

It began as a mass email a little disturbing to just ignore. The email pointed to a Web site, that more or less said society as we know it could disappear, because of an irrevocable decline in the oil production.¹ That was February 2004. In March 2005 it was a Princeton geologist who made news on NPR, backing scientifically that assertion in the morning show. By April 2005, the theme of oil supply was already a commonplace in government TV, press and radio statements in the United States.

As it is given more and more attention at gradually higher levels, today it seems hard to ignore the possibility that this is a long term crisis and that we should start considering how to change our lives in response to it. Given that our life was changing naturally as we were moving to California for school, J and I decided to make our trip commemorative in the context of global change. Hence we decided to drive, with the awareness that this could be the last opportunity for a much dreamed cross-country journey.

US$ 262 was the cost of filling the tank 13 times. With that provision of gas, we covered about 3,830 miles from Philadelphia to San Francisco, at an average rate of 7 cents per mile. Oil, as we can see, is still relatively cheap as to take the luxury of driving. However, the very same day we began our journey on August 3, news broke that crude oil prices had reached a record high of US$ 62 per barrel. A few days after arriving to San Francisco, we heard news of a new record high, this time nearing US$ 71.

No more cheap oil does not mean however this was our last opportunity to do a trip like this at all. If, according to what some fear this could have been our last opportunity to do it by car and chances are that in a few years we could be riding a horse-pulled carriage, we could be rather using the Highway in the Sky, if we think optimistically. No more cheap oil does not mean the world will stop, but some things could definitely change. Should we start acting about it?

Notes

¹ The Web site is lifeaftertheoilcrash.net.

Updates/further info on this article

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About this article
The idea of "peak oil" sometimes sounds like a religious matter: there are those who believe it is true, and those who believe that those who believe it is true are nuts. In any case, given that there was at least a minimum possibility of factual truth in the matter, Jennifer and I decided to materialize an aspiration before it was (if it was) too late.

An image of the trip.

Image

Shoot Date and Info

August 23, 2005	Code No. D05X08-I-06565

USA - California - Tehachapi. Personal: Last station in the trip.

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