Originally Posted by Metro man
Seriously though, we and in particular the Americans need to stop wasting energy. Buildings don't need to be airconditioned to the extent were you shiver in summer, and sweat in winter. Do you really need a 5.0 litre turbo charged V8 for driving around the city etc etc etc
Unfortunately the profits and lobbying power of the big oil companies will prevail to get what's best for them.
This, for my thinking, is the absolute crux of the matter. Whether or not GW is truly the issue it's hyped to be, and whether Peak Oil is about to doom us all to another dark age, the waste is what really gets me mad. There is no doubt at all that oil is finite, and that everyone, including us in aviation, needs to accept the fact. Whether that finite endpoint is now, or in 20 years, or in 100 years, absolutely no-one can tell, any more than we can know how hot it's going to be (God knows it's hard enough to get an accurate TAF!)
Waste is abhorrent in all its forms, and my "green" bent is certainly not of the loony left variety. But if you can get a hybrid vehicle which burns 4L/100km, why not use it in favour of the V8? Why not use a paper bag instead of a plastic one? Why not use alternative fuels if they are indeed viable? Why buy processed crap food when you can buy organic? I've got a solar hot water system, and I surely don't miss paying all that extra money on electricity.
In every case, we're freeing ourselves from the junta established by the Middle East/US oil barons, and we can tell them all to get f....d. Why be a slave to all that crap? Why not get rich doing other things?
To reduce wastage is not a political statement, but surely a sensible practicality. I don't care to waste my money if I don't have to, and surely it makes good economic and business sense too. I'm no hippy - they are a true rarity amongst professional pilots, except for some seaplane dudes.
I do believe that aviation has done its bit as far as reducing dependancy on oil. Just look at the massive increases in efficiency which have been made since the 707/DC-8 days in moving from straight-pipe turbojets to massive, high-bypass turbofans. The newer engine/airframe combinations seen in the A330 compared to the similar-sized 767 of late-70s design, are a more recent example, with similarly large improvements expected in the next generation (eg 787). I don't think alternative fuels are a serious contender at this stage, but who knows what might be around the corner?
Anyway, that's my thought on the matter. I'd love to think oil was endless, but it clearly isn't. Like Chimbu, I definitely don't believe all the doomsayers re GW/PO either, but let's not be wasteful or ignorant either.