The Crude Truth

'Don't trust anyone over thirty' suggested student activist Jack Weinberg at the height of Free Speech movement in the late sixties.

It was a time when a ponderous chasm had opened up between young and old generations triggered in part by the Vietnam war, racial discrimination, sexual discrimination and of course the huge bump in the demographics of western society called the baby boomers. Regardless of the reason, it was a time when change was no longer a matter of sober discussion and cautious debate. The need for change exploded into popular culture, smashing through barriers and resulting in frequent, and at times violent confrontation.

Weinberg's oft quoted line was not a rallying cry for this change, but rather a stark indication of the disconnect between the two sides.

If I were to revise the phrase to fit modern times, it would probably go like 'Don't trust anyone running a full page ad in the newspaper.' Okay, it's not as catchy, but you get the idea.

Earlier this week, a full page ad appeared in the local paper extolling the merits of the current methodology used to extract crude from the oil sands in Alberta. The oil sands people are trying to convince us that by using steam to separate the oil from the sand they have significantly reduced their use of toxic chemicals and also reduced their green-house gas emissions. As is often the case when it comes to discussing this particular facet of the oil extraction business, no mention is made of the massive pools of toxic liquid the industry contributes to daily given the somewhat benign name of tailing ponds.

The ad, one presumes, is something of an attempt to spin the positive benefits of oil sands production over less environmentally-friendly oil extraction methods, like, say, deep sea drilling. I suspect the larger goal is a paid rebuttal of sorts for the oil industry in general.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has put the industry in full damage control. Of course their primary concern is not the environment, as we are discovering in shocking detail with each passing day, it is PR. The veneer of the oil business is dissolving into a giant black glob of goo that is not going to go away anytime soon. The presumption that the industry and government had strict rules in place to protect against such a disaster has also vanished and we are left to wonder how it got to be this way.

It's easy and convenient for politicians and industry leaders to point fingers at BP, but most of the world knows much better. I guarantee that every oil executive in the world goes to bed at night praying the same thing doesn't happen to their company, as well as thanking whichever deity they worship that it wasn't theirs in the first place.

What is happening right now in the Gulf is fast becoming the most appalling environmental disaster in history. It may also result in one of the most significant shifts in our attitudes towards energy and the environment.

For over a century we have been told, and tacitly accepted, that the most convenient and affordable method for producing energy came from the burning of fossil fuels. We heat our homes with oil, the vast majority of transportation relies on oil, virtually every industry that produces anything requires oil.

So is there is no real alternative to oil? We know we can produce vast amounts of energy using hydro electricity. We know that there are bio fuels that have been developed and refined for commercial consumption. Solar, wind power and even wave power are all successful and/or promising technologies with the right investment.

The real question is not about the existence of alternatives, but rather why are we, as consumers, not demanding them? Tesla, an automaker in the United States, has built a battery powered sedan that can travel up to 480 kilometres on a single charge. General Motors much anticipated Volt will travel only 64 kilometres on a charge before (wait for it) a gasoline powered generator kicks in.

When it comes to making positive change for the environment, we will have to recognize that the chasm between the two sides is as deep as it was during the Free Speech era of the late 60's. Make no mistake, it is about power, but not the kind that runs your car. Oil companies have an unprecedented grip on our economy, major corporations and politicians ...and they will fight dirty.

As the filthy crude spews into the pristine waters of the Gulf of Mexico ask yourself, who do you trust? The people who can afford to buy full page ads to spin their position, or the ones who say the time has come to change.