Comments on: Peak Oil in The Nation

By: ergaleio

ergaleio — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:11:16 +0000

I send you my greetings from greece. Your blog is a very intersting one and ofcourse the issue about oil is very hot. I would recommend strongly to you and your readers the book of Retort “Afflicted Powers: Capital and Spectacle in a New Age of War” which has a very intersting chapter “Blood for oil?”.

Solidarity

By: endofcapitalism

endofcapitalism — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:34:17 +0000

Hi, thanks for the smart comments! I agree, Peak Oil as it’s usually presented in the mainstream media, and even in the “Progressive Media” is typically through a view of how oil scarcity is a disaster, because it will harm the U.S. economy and the suburban way of life (great!!!). I think you’re right when you say that Peak Oil “could be also a way to justify changes that the system needs to make from the inside”, for example the Tar Sands, Ethanol, or Coal Liquefaction. I think those need to be fought more vigorously than any other fake “solutions.”

You’re also right, we need to create a post-oil society that is anti-capitalist, but also anti-imperialist and anti-fascist. I believe strongly that we can only birth that world by organizing ourselves and building powerful grassroots movements that can challenge the power structure, which I take on in the heart of the U.S. Empire. Where are you living? How are you contributing to the good fight?

Thanks for posting!
Alex

By: ergaleio

ergaleio — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:29:13 +0000

I find this an interesting article yet I would make a few points in a short way. Firstly that the “end of suburbia” kind of analysis (as this is the case I think with this article) passes by social perspective of oil peak by explaning everything through the classical mathematical model of the Hubbert curve. Ok but is it so simple; Second it tends to focus on the USA reality making it look lake a USA issue. Thirdly the literature about relocalization (small scale farming etc) that is being put forward as an alternative to peak oil crisis does not include by it self a revolutionary perspective, meaning that a post oil society it can also be an alternative to capitalism. Finally I would like to say that although peak oil theory explains a lot, what makes me wonder is that the the acceptance of this theory by the system (it says so in the begining of the article) could be also a way to justify changes that the system needs to make from the inside to continue excisting (change of the energy model).

I said to much for just one comment!
Greetings