Apocalyptaholic

One of my favourite blogs lately is Peak Oil Debunked. I don't often agree with what JD writes, but his posts are usually entertaining and mostly factual.

In a post this weekend POD points out that James Howard Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency, made almost exactly the same predictions about the Y2K crisis as he does about peak oil.

As one person says in the comments, Kunstler's an apocalyptaholic.

Anyway, if I can be allowed a geeky reference, this revelation (and the peak oil debate generally) reminds me of the Mirror of Erised, from the Harry Potter series, which shows people whatever they most desire.

When someone like Kunstler encounters peak oil, he sees the end of the obese and flatulent American way of life (something he's written about in his other books). When conservatives talk about peak oil they start burping up stories about the nearly endless supplies of hydrocarbon energy from Venezuelan heavy crude, under-reported Middle Eastern reserves, and as-yet-undiscovered off-shore fields (all reported with the kind of high-flying optimism that comes from huffing on the tailpipe of your Chevy Tahoe).

It's just one of those issues where facts can't separate people from their beliefs.