Sunday, March 06, 2005

DOE Actually acknowledges Peak Oil!!!

So the department of Energy published a report recently acknowledging the reality of peak oil, and that it will take a minimum of twenty years to prevent a crisis - and that no one knows if we have twenty years or not (hint, probably not!). They acknowledged massive disruption to personal transportation and the economy if the problem is not fixed in time - not, however, to the food supply, which is the most urgent concern.

Peak oil is coming. G-d willing, the government might even wake up soon enough to start making a little bit of difference (after the next election, at the earliest, I'm sure!) But the rest of us can't wait. The DOE, (who I think are radically underestimating the scope of the problem, but at least they've noticed) are saying we need twenty years *from when we make radical change* - and trillions and trillions of dollars in investment (love those deficits!). So we're talking 23 1/2 years at a minimum (assuming we don't elect another oilman), and a hundreds of trillions of dollars we don't have.

We can't wait for the government to fix it!!!! The only way this can be mitigated, the only way the next depression can be softened, the only way the danger of actual starvation, war on our soil, and social crisis can be averted (to any degree) is by immediate, grassroots organizing. That means everyone reading this. Personal preparations are great - you need to get your house in order, and be prepared to deal with this on a personal level. But that DOES NOT exempt any one of us from creating community solutions. This cannot be a wholly personal thing - if everyone else in your community is jobless and hungry, all the personal preparations in the world won't help you. If there are no jobs, you may not be able to finish your preps in time. If the economy tanks and inflation goes wild, you may lose your "safe" home with all its preparations. If war comes your way, you may be made a refugee with no where to go. As important as personal preparation is, more urgent is preparing at every level - family, neighborhood, town, city, state, region, nation, to face this collectively.

What do you need? Greenspace to grow food, and people who know how. Local, sustainable industry and home businesses. Low carbon or no carbon ways of distributing materials and resources. Ways of making and doing things that are environmentally sound and energy efficient. Strong family and communal ties, that encourage collaboration and cooperation, rather than conflict. Support services for the needy - it might be you one day. A commitment to maximizing resources for everyone, rather than individual profit.

How do you get those things? Talk about peak oil to everyone - with your family, in your church/synagogue/temple/mosque, with your neighbors. But don't make them crazy - even if they don't believe in peak oil, they probably believe in things like stopping sprawl, creating community canneries and food banks, creating community gardens and greenspace, reforming livestock laws, encouraging food and water security, providing emergency training for EMS and fire services, sustainable woodland harvesting, gardening clubs, etc... You don't have to spend all your time yelling "peak oil" out loud - instead, start yelling "let's make this a better, more secure place for everyone.

Run for office - anything. School board? Sure, you can encourage energy wise policies, get gardening programs and 4H into the schools, bring in guest speakers on fossil fuel issues? Town council? Keep those woodlands open, build community gardens, make it legal to keep chickens within the city limits, create mixed zoning.

Start a peak oil group - meet up with people who are as concerned as you are. You find them in the strangest places - a friend of mine from synagogue, who has never been very receptive on the subject recently brought her father over for dinner, and it turns out he's involved in peak oil in his area. Post signs at the library, at the bookstore, on the bulletin boards, at meet-up.com, at your local university.

Run a showing of the film _The End of Suburbia_ which introduces the concept in a friendly way. The DVD is cheap, and you can have a party in your living room. Talk about it.

Get involved in providing support systems for the poor - there are going to be more of them. Write/call/email your legislators. Help your neighbor plant a garden. Write an article for your local paper calling for victory gardens, gas conservation days. Organize a celebration of a local food or product. Start a home business that isn't reliant on fossil fuels. Prepare your children to live in a post-peak world. Do it today, and tomorrow, and again the next day - the government won't fix it, so everything depends on us.

Sharon

3 comments:

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梁爵 said...

2020.05.09八大行業酒店工作及舞廳業遭政府勒令停業近一個月,即使疫情趨緩,指揮中心仍未給出明確復業日期,讓酒店上班酒店小姐叫苦連天,她們有的因為繳不出房租被房東驅趕,還有單親媽媽不堪經濟壓力差點輕生,她們呼籲政府立即公告復業,並痛批紓困沒落實,很多公關想申請卻被打回票,感覺就像在耍他們。4月8日一名酒店S酒店公關確診,中央流行疫情指揮中心立即勒令八大行業隔日酒店業停業,約48萬酒店相關從業人員頓失生計。一個月來,酒店PT基層人員的近況到底如何?政府的紓困有沒有照顧到這些人的需求?我們追蹤訪問了酒店經紀人梁曉尊和禮服店酒店打工公關明明(化名)的說法。因受疫情和政府的政策影響,酒店公關明明在一個月前失業,她說,自己本來至少月入4萬,但現在只能靠紓困金過活。雖然明明有申請到衛福部的急難救助金2萬元,但是根本無法彌補她因為停業造成的薪資損失,現在她還申請了勞動部的紓困貸款,希望度過難關。酒店經紀梁曉尊/梁小尊則說,她現在做不成經紀人,兼職做別的工作,也申請了勞動部的紓困貸款。明明和梁曉尊都是政府一夕間勒令停業,卻沒有定出任何復業期限的直接受害者。除了她們以外,還有一些是更弱勢、處境更慘的酒店小姐。明明說,有公關因為繳不出房租,遭房東要求搬走;還有一位公關是單身媽媽,戶頭僅剩幾千元,卻有小孩要養,因不堪龐大壓力一度想輕生。因應疫情,政府看似推出多種紓困方案,但是對失業陷入困境的勞工來說,其實是杯水車薪。「我雖然拿到2萬,但是又貸了10萬,這不是倒虧8萬嗎?」明明無奈地說。梁小尊也質疑,政府近日推出「擴大急難紓困」方案,每戶發1萬元現金,但申請資格是以家戶為單位計算,全家人每人每月收入加存款低於最低生活費2倍才可申請,且每戶只能請領一次,但是每個家庭狀況不一樣,父母財產不一定會分給小孩,要求每戶共享這1萬元,不僅沒道理,幫助也非常有限。區公所申請紓困 竟只有六分之一成功由於絕大多數酒店公關沒有勞保,現在他們能申請的紓困方案,主要就是衛福部1萬至3萬元的急難紓困金,或者向勞動部申請最高10萬元的紓困貸款。透過各地鄉鎮市區公所申請的急難紓困金,成為酒店小姐失業後的救命管道。然而,儘管行政院打包票說放寬申請資格,要讓有生活困難的民眾都領得到,實際的申請狀況卻完全不是這麼一回事。由酒店公關和經紀人組成、積極協助同業申請紓困的「酒店經紀梁曉尊」就透露,近來有超過60名酒店從業人員向他們諮詢,但是根據回報,成功被區公所受理的案例,竟然只有10名,成功率僅六分之一。被打回票的,大多都是拿不出區公所要求的文件,例如停業證明、工作證明,或是切結書沒有蓋公司章等等。梁小尊指出,公關本來就很難檢附這些文件,例如現行業界店家與公關並非僱傭關係,沒有合約之類的僱傭證明,而基層也很難取得公司蓋章或是停業證明。「衛福部好像在耍我們。」梁小尊說,她雖然成功申請到急難紓困金,但也是跑了兩趟區公所才辦成,還另外去了戶政事務所和國稅局拿到相關文件,才獲得受理。由於申請急難紓困要求的資料過於繁雜,也引發民眾怒火,衛福部也趕緊在昨天(5/6)宣布,民眾只需攜帶身分證與簽切結書即可申請,其他證明文件可由政府代查。不過梁曉尊質疑,中央的政策說得「很好聽」,可是關鍵在於地方有沒有同步照做。她說,申請的狀況每間區公所都不一樣,有的會要求出示證明,有的比較寬鬆,所以重點是要中央地方統一程序,真正簡化申請流程,「像是八大行業,若沒有相關證明,應該只要簽一個切結書,就可申請。」酒店業遭關近月 小姐盼「立即復業」疫情至今,確診肺炎的病例遍布各行業,卻唯獨只有酒店、舞廳業被勒令停業,即使確診女公關和123名接觸者都已全部檢測陰性結案,全台疫情也趨緩獲得控制,酒店業復業仍遙遙無期。「很生氣…真的又累又生氣!」梁曉尊說,疫情既已趨緩,指揮中心應該立即公告讓酒店復業,業界都願意配合防疫指示及相關控管機制。明明怒批,政府僅針對酒店業祭出停業措施,且沒有復業期限,根本是「柿子挑軟的吃」,看準酒店業是被長期歧視和污名化的產業,不會有太多人關注,停業後政府也沒有像補助其他產業一樣提供紓困,很明顯就是大小眼。指揮中心昨日被問到酒店業何時復業時表示,只要酒店業者做好防疫管理,地方主管機關可以允許恢復營業,今天指揮官陳時中又說了一次「只要任何單位符合防疫標準,就沒有所謂禁止問題」,但都沒有說明確切復業日期,復業標準也令人霧煞煞。回顧當初的酒店停業決定,是指揮中心一句話就要全台酒店和舞廳停業,現在又把皮球踢給各地方政府,地方能不能和中央同調又成為一個未解問題。從4月9日酒店業停業至今,有的酒店小姐轉入地下化,有的繳不出房租,有的連紓困也領不到,她們只想問:何時才能見到復業的曙光?