'Peak Oil', Cuban Style
Cuba's experience with a dramatic decrease in energy supplies since the fall of the Soviet Union affords the rest of the world a glimpse of what the end of cheap oil might look like.
"The solutions to Cuba's energy problems were not easy. Without money, it couldn't invest in nuclear power and new conventional fossil fuel plants or even large-scale wind and solar energy systems. Instead, the country focused on reducing energy consumption and implementing small-scale renewable energy projects."
"Cubans also faced the problem of providing transportation on a reduced energy diet. Solutions came from ingenious Cubans, who often quote the phrase, 'Necessity is the mother of invention.' With little money or fuel, Cuba now moves masses of people during rush hour in Havana. In an inventive approach, virtually every form of vehicle, large and small, was used to build this mass transit system. Commuters ride in hand-made wheelbarrows, buses, other motorized transport and animal-powered vehicles."
"One special Havana transit vehicle, nicknamed a 'camel,' is a very large metal semi-trailer, pulled by a standard semi-truck tractor, which holds 300 passengers. Bicycles and motorized two-passenger rickshaws are also prevalent in Havana, while horse drawn carts and large old panel trucks are used in the smaller towns."
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The Obvious Difference Between the US and Cuba
This article says:
"Without money, [Cuba] it couldn't invest in nuclear power and new conventional fossil fuel plants or even large-scale wind and solar energy systems. Instead, the country focused on reducing energy consumption and implementing small-scale renewable energy projects."
The obvious difference between the US and Cuba is that the US does have money, and there will be tremendous pressure to invest in new large-scale energy systems after peak oil. We will have to face the question that Cuba did not have to face: whether to invest in coal and nuclear or in wind and solar. The future of the world's environment will depend on the decision we make.
Charles Siegel