...about how things that seem to be so remote are really connected in ways we never really consider. After hearing a geologist interviewed on public radio in the past month or so, I can't seem to get this out of my mind. And wonder how many other things that seem to be so random really have some of that 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon' attachment in ways no one has explained for our simple minds to grasp.
The backstory here is how the man, probably an author of a book or printed article, was describing the far reaching results of that tsunami that hit Japan a few years ago. Flooding caused widespread damage that included the shut down of a nuclear power plant that continues to leak toxic materials into the land and surrounding ocean. Because of the power plant disaster, several large governments in Europe decided to discontinue using nuclear fuel as a energy source. And shut down power plants in Germany, France, maybe another country. Seeking alternative energy sources like wind farms and solar panels. Causing the solar panel market to begin to produce at a high rate, making the panels much more affordable and commonplace. Thereby creating a reduction in demand for fossil fuels and energy sources that are more expensive as well as dirty and not renewable.
Then a side effect of increased use of solar panels and developing wind turbines for generating energy, is that the price of gas has gone down dramatically. So the value of crude oil is lower than it has been in years, and filling your tank at the pump is cheaper than in recent memory. I recall going on a road trip with my cousin less than ten years ago, and paying over four dollars a gallon for gas (and driving a guzzler as well.) But I am the person who can recall my dad handing me a quarter and telling me to walk up to the gas station less than a block from the house and get a gallon of gas to mow the entire yard on a Saturday.
I remember the geologist saying Everything is Connected, and it All starts with Geology. Hmmm...
Oh - and I am so opposed to fracking I think we are not only ruining our continent, we are dooming the planet.
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