Today turned out to be quite an important day in the life of this peak oil activist. For the past two years, I’ve been studying the said subject like a man possessed. For the past year, I’ve been working on this blog, the main AlienWorld website and moving my family in the direction of peak oil and transition preparation and resilience, all whilst working a full time job in the city, a hundred kilometres from home and doing my best to be a good Dad and husband in the process.
I’ve been laughed at and ridiculed countless times and when a film crew came to my house to shoot a piece on crisis preparation, the neighbours asked me what it was all about. When I answered it was to do with resource and fossil fuel depletion and how we can prepare for it, I was met with an instant wall of silence. A group of completely blank, staring faces enveloped me from all sides. A cast of professional comedians couldn’t have made the scene funnier and more uncomfortable. These people looked at me like I was some sort of circus freak speaking to them in tongues! They just all turned away and ran for their front doors. I’m laughing as I write this because the situation was truly hilarious.
And that is the basic, recurring Ground-Hog premise of my life as a peak oil activist and advocate. It’s not like I’m going door-to-door trying to sell you blocks of land in heaven, rolling out a map of the available blocks and asking for a cash deposit. Peak oil is a logical reality staring us in the face – not unlike my scary neighbours.
This is not some Tracy Grimshaw exclusive exposè of used car salesmen ripping off Bob’s disabled grandmother. This is the biggest shift in ‘life as we know it’, humanity has ever faced. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Let me tell you what’s crazy – the mob either doesn’t know about peak oil or doesn’t care.
Remember the date that you read this blog entry and remember where you are right now because in a handful of years, you will care. You better believe it. In a handful more years after that, you won’t have time to care because you’ll be putting all your dear life into attempting to re-adjust to a world without cheap and abundant energy. If this doesn’t scare the hell out of you, then you don’t understand what it implies.
I’m constantly told, with an air of over-confidence, in a patronising tone, “Have you not heard of the Toyota Prius, Solar panels, ethanol and wind turbines? What are you talking about? We don’t even need oil.” To which I answer, “Then go and build a Prius, a solar panel and a wind turbine and make some ethanol without it.”
Flashback to my neighbours’ wall of silence and blank stares…
So today I’m feeling run down, dejected and sitting in front of the laptop, updating the AlienWorld site, when I decide to check my emails. I see an email from some guy named Matt so I open the email and start to read.
And that’s when it happened! The email was signed off by Matt Mushalik from ASPO Sydney. I read the final sentence again and yes, it read, “Keep up the good work…” Well, I grabbed the laptop with both hands and screamed out, “Matt Mushalik from ASPO Sydney!” at the top of my lungs. Then came a few minutes of wild air punching and the old Layton Hewitt, “COME ON!!!!!” followed by air guitar to some very loud music (Eye of the Tiger).
I won’t bore you with the full details of what exactly happened for the next hour but I’m sure you can imagine. You guessed it! – there was plenty of shadow boxing in the direction of each of my neighbour’s houses, complete with Anthony Mundine facial taunts and all. I basically went hysterical.
It may seem strange as to why this is such a big deal to me and I suppose you wouldn’t understand unless you began expressing your thoughts on peak oil openly to friends, family, colleges and the general public. Within a week, you’d completely understand.
Anyway, this post is not about Michael blowing a gasket and releasing two years worth of steam, full blast at his neighbours. No, it’s actually about Matt Mushalik from ASPO Australia. Here’s a bit of background on Matt.
He’s a Civil Engineer and Town Planner with more than ten years experience in oil and energy crises in Europe, East Africa and Bangladesh in the 70’s and 80’s. Matt is a member of Ecotransit, Sydney Peak Oil and ASPO. Basically, that means when he talks, we should listen.
Matt’s research papers are listed below and should be read over and studied thoroughly by anyone who is serious about peak oil and is not just an internet tourist. His research is used by Matthew Simmons in his slideshow presentations. Most of you should know who Matthew Simmons is by now and thus should realise how important Matt’s research must be if it’s used by Simmons.
For me personally, Matt’s work on NSW public transport, specifically his ideas on rail and light rail are incredibly important. I see my own niche in peak oil as mass-scale awareness to the public. That’s all well and good but it’s people like Matt that make things happen, advising politicians and industry leaders on such issues.
Please take the time to read Matt’s research papers. Here they are:
The Disconnect Between Oil Reserves and Production
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3664
or
http://sydneypeakoil.com/matt/Worlds_Fragile_Oil_Flows_From_Declining_Reserve_Base.pdf
Bumpy Crude Oil Plateau in the Rear View Mirror
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3793
or
http://sydneypeakoil.com/matt/Crude_Oil_In_Rear_Mirror.pdf
Latest crude oil graphs
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/5416/504026
Flyer for EWP workshop April 2009
http://sydneypeakoil.com/matt/Comments_EWP_April_2009.pdf
Financial crisis and peak oil explained by actuary Gail Tverberg, Atlanta, Georgia:
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/5047#more
Report card 2008 entitled "Has the Federal Government prepared for oil decline and CO2 reduction?" PDF 3.5 Mb
http://sydneypeakoil.com/matt/ReportCard2008.pdf
On transport solutions March 2009
http://sydneypeakoil.com/matt/SurfaceMetro_Not_TunnelMetro.pdf
http://sydneypeakoil.com/matt/Pacific_Highway_versus_XPT.pdf
http://sydneypeakoil.com/matt/Casino_Murwillumbah_Rail_Line_lo-res.pdf
(4.1mb)
http://sydneypeakoil.com/matt/Casino_Murwillumbah_Rail_Line_hi-res.pdf
(7.2mb)
Electric rail crash program: jobs for public transport
http://www.aph.gov.au/SENATE/committee/rrat_ctte/public_transport/submissions/sub48_amalg.pdf
The End of Freeways - The tipping points of Peak Oil and Global Warming
Everything about this double challenge including limitations to alternative fuels, clean energy crisis, rail electrification and the impact of ice sheet disintegration on sea levels
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/F3toM7Review/pdf/SUBMISSION_47-Mr_Matt_Mushalik.pdf
Macquarie Uni talk June 2008
http://aca.mq.edu.au/People/SGpages/SCG_Files/Matt_Mushalik_G2Gtalk_040608.pdf
Submission #129 and #129a to Sydney's NW Transport Inquiry
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/committee.nsf/0/F6E420E701DDB4EACA2574F00001BF7E
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/committee.nsf/0/EEEC6364AA50CA53CA2574FC007E55BE
Submission Green paper on aviation
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/aviation/nap/files_green_paper/MUSHALIK_Matt.pdf
Submission #69 to the Senate Inquiry on oil supplies
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/rrat_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/oil_supply/submissions/sub69.pdf
Keep your eyes and ears open for the AlienWorld “Peaked Out” campaign. This is an all-out ‘carpet-bombing’ attack on the general public to raise awareness of peak oil through the music industry.
The public has been too slow in taking the peak oil message on board. Fine, let’s think outside the square and put more effort and resources into marketing the message.
Illergic, Reason, Dee Jay Maniak, Def Wish, Vame, Sal, Tunz and all you promoters out there – Let’s get together and show the world what we can do for a truly worthy cause. A cause that can actually save the world!
Fear not, you’ll ALL be hearing a lot more from me and AlienWorld…
Michael
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