Iraqi elections

[ciphergoth]

This goes through my head every time I read a headline about the eight million Iraqis who just voted, or the thousands in this country who cast a proxy vote.

Comments

vote for oil or else

[ablueskyboy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree, but it would have been much better if the US simply switched to alternate energy than oil "reserves" and closed business.

All this feudal fighting is frightenly pointless, feels like I'm in pre-WW2.

Re: vote for oil or else

[gnomatron.livejournal.com]

hmm, I don't know why the oil companies aren't trying to push through alternative energy sources... they know the oil reserves are finite, and they surely want to have a fall-back when they run out? They're in by far the best position to control the alternative energy market when it finally kicks off properly.

I recall an amusing incident where greenpeace broke into the BP building in Aberdeen and placed solar panels on the roof as an act of protest. Thing is, it turned out that BP had been the ones who manufactured the panels in the first place...

Re: vote for oil or else

[thekumquat.livejournal.com]

They have the technology, but no-one will buy while oil is still affordable. If oil really does run low (and given that new reserves keep being found in central Asia, so there's probably enough for 100 years), people will start buying the solar panels at a rate which will enable economies of scale.

In the meantime, many local councils give grants for people wanting to install solar panels or more efficient heating or insulation...

Re: vote for oil or else

[cillygirl.livejournal.com]

thing is, they want to make money -now-, not in 100 years time... their interest lies in keeping us using oil for as long as possible, squeeze the last scrap from the ground (and where will we put all that carbon?) because they have a systematic and business monopoly at present whereas they can't guarantee that in the future.

also, alternative energy is inherently distributed in source, i.e. on your roof, so they can't control it so well, spinning the system (they bought a president!) to get absolute maximum return.