Oil Shocks

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Our Oil Supply is Vulnerable

"Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push - in just the right place - it can be tipped."
- Malcom Gladwell, The Tipping Point

Oil powers our economy, our transportation, and our agricultural system. Because oil is so vital to our economy, the network of oil production and shipping is often a target for those who want to disrupt our energy supplies. Terrorists frequently attack oil pipelines, refineries and tankers. Pirates hijack gigantic oil tankers off the coast of Somalia, the largest refinery in the world is attacked in Saudi Arabia on a regular basis, and guerilla fighters frequently target oil pipelines in Nigeria.

Terrorism is not the only risk to the supply of our most vital energy source. There have been trucker strikes in Spain and refinery strikes in England. An accident in the Strait of Hormuz (a narrow shipping lane) could shut down a significant portion of our world oil supply. Even before the world's oil production begins to decline, individual countries could stop exporting their oil in order to keep supplies running in their own countries, drastically cutting the supply of oil on the open market.

Many people remember the oil shocks of the 1970s. These were not caused by a decline in world oil production, but by international tensions in the Middle East. At the time, the United States produced most of our own oil and only depended on a small percentage of our supply from the Middle East. Nevertheless, even this small shortage was enough to cause long waits at gas pumps and much more expensive energy than we were used to. Now, the U.S. depends on foreign producers for over 60% of our oil.

We are completely dependent on oil

Oil shocks caused by terrorism, peak oil, labor strikes, international unrest, or even accidents have the potential to cause serious havoc and hardship. Our city depends on a frequently refilled pool of gasoline - for our ambulances, firetrucks, police cars, utility vehicles and the cars of doctors, nurses, city employees, workers at power plants and water utilities.

We depend on our grocery stores to supply us with food, but grocery stores depend on deliveries from all across the country and the world to refill the shelves. Grocery stores have on average only about three days of food available. Without frequent shipments, the shelves are empty. Not only that, but our agriculture is deeply dependent on cheap gasoline. If oil supplies were disrupted at the wrong time, crops might not be planted or harvested.

Oklahoma City needs a plan

What would we do if truck shipments were delayed? If an oil shock were to occur, quickly halting or slowing the flow of oil to the world, FEMA and the Red Cross would not be able to help us. They are as dependent on cheap oil as the rest of us. We need to have a plan to provide the basics to our citizens: food, water, heating and cooking fuel, and medical services. There are over 500,000 people in this city. How could we supply the essentails if gasoline suddenly became restricted, extremely expensive or cut off altogether?

Transition Town OKC would like to start planning for this contingency with the various groups and individuals in Oklahoma City who could offer valuable immediate assistance in the event of an oil shock. If you would like to participate, please contact us at info (at) goinglocalokc.com.

You need a plan

Could you get along without outside support for several weeks, if needed? Could you and your family survive without access to grocery stores, hospitals, gas stations? What if the electrical grid failed temporarily or the water utilities had to shut off? Consider preparing for an extended emergency situation.

It helps to think of making emergency preparations as buying a kind of insurance - a policy for the lives of you and your family. Many people who have prepared their families for an extended oil shock include these items in their plan:

Evacuation kit
Three to six month supply of food for family, pets, and perhaps some to share
Two-week supply of water
First aid kit with stock of appropriate medications
Water filter or purification tablets
Non-grid method of cooking
Non-grid method of heating
Non-grid method of washing clothes