We must kick the oil habit to save lives.
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There seems to be a perpetual crisis in one Gulf or another...the latest being the BP oil spill. This pattern is hardly a coincidence as any culture so dependent on oil (and cars) and so supportive of military interventions leaves virtually no margin for error.
The good news is that since this is not some preordained theology or unstoppable force of nature, we can turn things around by simply changing our minds. After all, a society not programmed to worship cars, machines, and soldiers is a much, much greener society.
As Kurt Vonnegut sez:
"Here's what I think the truth is: We are all addicts of fossil fuels in a state of denial, about to face cold turkey."
WATCH VIDEO: Addicted to Oil: Global Warming
This is the Kind of Oil Dependency We Can Sustain:
2 Reasons Why Oil Spills Happen
1. We Love Cars and Cars Need Gas
There are 254,403,082 cars clogging up this planet. The U.S consumes about 21 million barrels of oil per day. 10,000 gallons of gasoline are burned in the U.S. every second. .
2. Making War Requires an Endless Supply of Fuel
Not only is the U.S. military the world's biggest gas guzzler , the largest oil slick in history came to be during the Gulf War: "Estimates on the volume spilled range from 42 to 462 million gallons; the slick reached a maximum size of 101 by 42 miles and was 5 inches thick. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the size of the spill, figures place it 5 to 27 times the size (in gallons spilled) of the Exxon Valdez oil spill."
2 Ways to Prevent Future Oil Spills
1. Reduce Your Driving (or Stop Driving Altogether)
Here are 9 ways to challenge the car culture, for example:
- Car pooling
- Hypermiling
- Public Transportation
- Bicycles
2. Recognize: Being Pro-War = Anti-Green
We must link the anti-war and eco-movements. If those struggling for peace connected with the greenies, they'd discover much common ground and solidarity. This larger movement could then work to end American militarism. As Ward Churchill sez: "You've got to learn that when you push people around, some people push back. As they should. As they must. And as they undoubtedly will. There is justice in such symmetry."
