It sounds like the title of a book, “Curse, Peak, War: The Future of the Planet,” but I’m referring to a trio of stories in today’s papers that tell us an enormous amount about our energy problems. The Guardian reports that the International Energy Agency, due to pressure from the U.S. government, has published intentionally inflated estimates of world oil reserves, so as to cover up the problem of peak oil. Outsiders have long criticized the agency’s numbers, but the Guardian report is based on statements of insiders who are blowing the whistle. The New York Times reports that Venezuela, awash in oil and natural gas, has had to endure blackouts because its power grid is so inefficient and ill-supplied. It’s one of the ironies of resource-rich countries that their incoherent economies are unable to turn their carbon reserves into power that keeps the lights on. Lastly, Aviation Week reports on a consumer of oil that finds itself paying $45 a gallon–the U.S. military, which has to provide elaborate protection for its fuel convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan. Once the cost of protection is added to the purchase price, a gallon of gas that goes into a Humvee in a warzone costs $45.
