Panelists discuss climate changes, peak oil

By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer

December 06, 2007 04:00 am

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ONEONTA _ "Kill your lawn."

That was one of the recommendations from a panel discussion based around peak oil and climate change held Wednesday night at the First United Methodist Church.

Angelika St. Laurent of Cornell University promoted growing more vegetables and fruits locally _ including on lawns _ as a way to mitigate food-supply problems related to peak oil and climate change.

St. Laurent, a researcher at Cornell, Mark Davies of Hartwick College and Jay Fleisher of the State University College at Oneonta were the panelists at the discussion sponsored by the Environmental Work Group of Central New York. The event attracted more than 70 area residents who filled nearly every seat in an upstairs meeting hall at the church.

Fleisher, an earth sciences professor, outlined the concept of peak oil first put forth by M. King Hubbert in the 1950s. Hubbert accurately predicted that American petroleum production would peak in less than two decades.

Today, peak oil generally refers to a global peak, which Fleisher said is on the verge of being reached.

The best-case scenario is that the point at which global oil production reaches terminal decline is a decade or two away, he said.

Fleisher also outlined climate change and what the possible impacts could be on the environment, which include more severe weather, droughts and rising sea levels.

"We've had climate change long before we've had human influence," Fleisher said. "The critical thing is ... we may not be causing the climate change, but we are accelerating that change."

What does all this mean?

"A lot of folks don't grasp how this will impact them," Davies said.

Davies used the example of how an increase in petroleum prices affects the food people eat.

"Already, we are seeing that the cost of fuel is hitting farms directly," Davies said.

Transporting food is also a problem because it is mostly dependent on trucks, he said.

It takes an average of 1,500 miles of travel for the food a person eats, Davies said.

"We've lost our food independence," he said.

St. Laurent suggested there are ways to gain back "food independence."

In addition to growing more fruits and vegetables locally, local governments should be encouraged to relax restrictions on the small-scale keeping of livestock.

Zoning codes in suburban and urban areas often restrict the keeping of animals other than pets.

"Chickens in your backyard are great fun," St. Laurent said.

Area elected officials attending included Rep. Steven Fournier, R-Milford, Rep. James Powers, R-Butternuts, and Rep. Marti Stayton, D-Oneonta, who all serve on the Otsego County Board of Representatives.

The city of Oneonta was represented by Fifth Ward Alderman Rodger Moran, who was joined by two aldermen-elect, Erik Miller of the Third Ward and Liz Shannon of the Seventh Ward.

Environmental Work Group of Central New York member Ed Lentz, of Morris, served as moderator.

Lentz said the petroleum-based economy is fragile, and a disruption such as an attack on Iran or a pipeline disaster could have severe short-term consequences.

"I encourage every one of you to have at least a few weeks (of food) stored in your house," Lentz said.