Geopolitics and . . . Oil

Geopolitics: how land and particularly fuel derived from land influences, even determines, politics. And the influence can be bad when people use geopolitics as an excuse for trying to get their own way about something else. On an individual basis we've all done it: started an argument or done something because we're unhappy or downright angry about something, but used something else as an excuse, for whatever reason. That is understandable, but it's not helpful to us as individuals or to us on a national and global level, even though it might make us feel better at the time, better in the sense of anger vented. However, when it comes to, well, anything, but perhaps as per politics and land, especially fuel, globally, we need to use domestic resources first, without destroying the land itself (but that's a whole 'nother blog), and then, if we need to, buy from other countries.


According to the Department of Energy, “fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas -- currently provide more than 85% of all the energy consumed in the United States, nearly two-thirds of our electricity, and virtually all of our transportation fuels” (http://www.energy.gov/energysources/fossilfuels.htm).


According to the Energy Information Administration,
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm,
the United States bought oil from eighty-five countries from May 2008 to October 2008, for a total of 2,364,640 barrels.

From the Persian Gulf countries: 434, 714

Iraq: 115,201

Saudi Arabia: 284,238

Venezuala: 222, 175

Russia: 94,327

Why depend on foreign oil? What happens when all the oil other places is used up? And don't they need some of their own fuel?

But why depend on oil at all? We don't need it.

For what we do need, see http://www.campaignforgreen.com/