Just Stop Oil !? Part 1 - Gasoline | Frankly #37
Today, I want to give a more in-depth, visual explanation for something that has been touched on briefly in several past episodes on The Great Simplification - how a reduction in the demand for gasoline will not - as commonly believed - result in a 1:1 reduction in the demand for oil. As the Electric Vehicle industry grows, at least one reason is that climate concerned citizens buy EVs because if gasoline isn’t needed, then less oil will be extracted and less CO2 will be emitted. While a significant portion (~40%) of oil refining results in gasoline, we need to be aware of modern civilization's deep dependencies on the remaining products that all come from the same barrel of oil. Additionally, the products from oil need to be refined/distilled sequentially, meaning a reduction in demand for one (gasoline) won’t reduce the demand for oil itself - at least in the short/intermediate term. Only then can we understand and plan for feasible pathways to reducing oil production and consumption within the confines of a growth-dependent complex adaptive system. How can movements such as Just Stop Oil better reflect the reality of the current oil production system and our economy?
Next week I plan to share a part two, with 7 potential paths to a less oil-dependent future.
I’d like to give a special thank you to Joris van der Schot, John Rowan, Robert Rapier, and Art Berman for helpful input on this video.
In case you missed it…
Last week, I was joined by “free range biologist” Anne Biklé and “broad-minded geologist” David Montgomery - a married duo who have been educating about the link between soil and human health for nearly a decade. The health of our soils are the very foundation for the health of an ecosystem, a society, and ourselves. Yet, as we continue to strip the land and soil of its life supporting capacity, our food has become less nutritious, even as we’ve received more calories. In this conversation, Anne and David discuss the state of soils currently and what a path back to a symbiotic relationship between humans and the land might look like.
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