A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash

Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack

BY Travis Mackenzie HooverPublished Mar 9, 2007

We all know about Al Gore and his inconvenient truths, but Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack have another negative spin on our fossil fuel fixation: the imminent economic crisis now that sources for crude oil have peaked.

Attempting to scare us out of complacency, the filmmakers trot out expert after expert and they have some hard facts that will curl your hair. They begin with how oil drives strife in the world: not only are wars fought in order to secure the supply but brutal dictatorships are propped up in order to keep the crude flowing.

More pertinent, however, is that that flow of oil may be slowing down dramatically, meaning the economy, which is founded on petrodollars and the power and freedom cheap energy affords, may be in for a serious shellacking once the supply falls and demand rises. And as the developing world tries to catch up with first-world standards, that demand is almost certain to skyrocket.

All told, the prognosis is extremely grim, and worst of all is that the leaders who ought to be investing in research to transition us to sustainable energy are simply telling the electorate to buy their Hummers and hope for the best. Though the technique of the film is a little dependent on ham-fistedly "ominous” visuals, as well as the abuse of Philip Glass, the numbers don’t lie and they tell a story that should light a fire under your seat and propel you towards your local representative’s office to demand why this has to happen.

The film is bleak, unpleasant, but necessary, and I suggest you rush along to see it.

(Mongrel Media)

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