Petroleum is the lifeblood of our modern world. It also is the root of global warming and climate change. Having its flow curtailed thus is both a curse and a blessing in today’s Anthropocene, the reign of humankind over the Earth. It is no wonder that the Christian “End Times” and rebirth, the belief that after an inevitable period of global chaos humankind will emerge cleansed of its sinful ways and live again in the Garden of Eden, is gaining favor. Ending our addiction to oil is completely unreasonable, and the God of Abraham is a stern taskmaster. At the heart of this projected outcome is our mistaken belief that we are allowed unlimited power over the Earth and one another. Oil provides the energy driving modern life, including the embrace of war to meet our needs. The internal combustion engine is seen as having that power under control. That it also increases carbon dioxide and water in the atmosphere was irrelevant until it became evident that it wasn’t. The great sadness here is that holding and wielding power is accepted as the destined human way of life. Control seems now in other hands, just whose is open to debate.

RP