Economic Lifeboat: Oil if finite. Life based on oil is terminal. We build Economic Lifeboats that make cities durable against unstable oil prices and supply.
Life requires energy. Oil is finite so life and nations based on oil are terminal.
Less affordable energy, less life. Even without the oil supply shocks of the 1970, as gasoline prices increase people have more and more difficulty affording to pay for both their mortgage and commute. Building the JPods network in Hull my cut the number of cars a family needs and save families a car payment per month.
"By 2012, surplus oil production capacity could entirely disappear, and as early as 2015, the shortfall in output could reach nearly 10 million barrels per day."
"A severe energy crunch is inevitable without a massive expansion of production and refining capacity. While it is difficult to predict precisely what economic, political, and strategic effects such a shortfall might produce, it surely would reduce the prospects for growth in both the developing and developed worlds. Such an economic slowdown would exacerbate other unresolved tensions, push fragile and failing states further down the path toward collapse, and perhaps have serious economic impact on both China and India. At best, it would lead to periods of harsh economic adjustment. To what extent conservation measures, investments in alternative energy production, and efforts to expand petroleum production from tar sands and shale would mitigate such a period of adjustment is difficult to predict. One should not forget that the Great Depression spawned a number of totalitarian regimes that sought economic prosperity for their nations by ruthless conquest."
"Energy production and distribution infrastructure must see significant new investment if energy demand is to be satisfied at a cost compatible with economic growth and prosperity."
"The discovery rate for new petroleum and gas fields over the past two decades (with the possible exception of Brazil) provides little reason for optimism that future efforts will find major new fields."
Foward by General James N Mattis
The vast majority of people recognize that Oil is Finite.
The vast majority of people recognize that depleting resources threatens our children, but significantly fewer accept that we are taxing our children without their consent and voting benefits for ourselves that will have to be paid for by the labor of children.
Less than 50% of people believe a solution is possible. But that is normal. Innovation comes from individuals or small groups. Free markets works by allowing niches for innovators to create solutions and the aggregate the wisdom of the many to choose between choices.
When the government controlled the means of production in communications, we had a century of rotary telephones; government institutions strive for consistency above all else. In 1984 the courts enforced the Constitution and restored communications to free markets. When liberty to choose networks was restored to the people, the Internet and cell nets commercialized. Millions of jobs, vast innovation and better service at lower costs.
When control over the means of production in transportation is restored to free markets, JPods, ET3 and other alternative networks will commercialize to provide freight rail efficiency in personal and urban cargo transport.
Counting walking, ticketing and travel time from the Blue Cross, areas in Green are 10 minutes, areas in Yellow are in 20 minutes and areas in Red are in 30 minutes. Black lines represent computer instructions on distances for calculating travel times, not precise routes.
Start small, iterate relentlessly.
Networks in Fremont
Networks in Oakland and Alameda Island
JPods Demo in front of Oakland City Hall in support of Earth Day.
Start small, iterate often.
Building feeder networks out from every BART station radically expands access to BAFR and cuts the need for two car payments per family. The objective is to cut transportation expenses by a car payment per month.
How much would your family benefit by having an extra $200 to $500 a month in disposable income? Help us change the lifeblood of our economy from oil to ingenuity. Help create the jobs building solar-powered transport networks. Send me an email, Bill James
Alameda Island
More images by Robert Therrien and Judeth Van Hamm matching JPods technology to local esthetics. This network is primarily locally owned. Local interests will make the decisions.