For all of my adult life, I've been aware that (at least some Americans were aware of) 'the oil situation'. Your refs clarify a bit the interconnectedness and the fact that SA per se is not the major supplier - but may indeed be the critical determinant of "worldwide cost" - via its efficient production.

Yet, and over decades: "near term" has ever proven to be the euphemism for doing Nothing (while sometimes funding of a few $M, never $B - !! - all those alternative ideas as doubtless most here are aware of). But like an (early) recycling plant which supplied energy to a nearby town, but at a cost ~ 3% higher IIRC than a plant burning that SA sweet crude: project was dismantled. This was over 30 years ago! The exact details are irrelevant; the attitude - which persists to this day, is not.

IMhO we have been determinedly anticlueful about our habits of waste and about the actual int'l costs of our machinations to get lots of oil cheap (in $ - ignore other 'costs' like the hate? byproduct that was the above topic)

Yours has always been a Good Question to ask: what *NOW* should we do, next and soonest? It is just that: Murican 'policy' has been to answer that with a yawn.

After 9/11 -?- Everything has changed. Nothing has changed (re this matter). No, I have no idea what would be required to change this yawn to an interested stare.. of stupefaction.


Ashton