Green Party of California Proposal (Feb 2007) Balancing the Budget (2/7/07 version)

SPONSOR: Green Issues Working Group

PRESENTER/CONTACT: Thomas Dickerman 50 San Miguel Ave Daly City, CA 94015 650.992.3963

SUBJECT: Resolution Regarding World Oil Depletion

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Green Party of California needs to make a clear statement about its position on world oil consumption and approaching depletion. This resolution provides a clear statement of the Party's position and recommendation for the immediate move to renewable fuels.

PROPOSAL:

WHEREAS, most world oil resource experts, who are not under the direct control of the oil companies or their governments, say that we are either at the peak of world oil production, or within four years of the peak, and have written many books on the subject, and

WHEREAS, the United States is total dependent on oil to fuel our gluttonous appetite for gasoline to power our cars and to a large extent on oil to power our homes, industry and agriculture, and and for use as a feed-stock, and because world oil demand is increasing, especially in China and India, and

WHEREAS, the United State with 5 percent of the world's population uses about 30 percent of the world's oil production, and

WHEREAS, that production will increasingly come from the Persian Gulf, and other unstable areas of the world, and

WHEREAS the United States' oil production peaked way back in 1970, and world discovery of oil peaked in 1965, and

WHEREAS, industrialized agriculture as done in the United States cannot continue without the massive use of oil for farm traction, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, processing, refrigeration and transportation, and therefore a shortage of oil will mean a shortage of food, and

WHEREAS alternative energy systems will take many decades to develop on a scale to meet our demands,

NOW THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED that the Green Party of California calls on all individuals and agencies to immediately minimize their use of oil, institute stringent conservation measures and ask their leaders to make an urgent program to minimize the use of oil throughout the world, and to develop and implement alternative renewable fuels urgently on a scale to meet reduced demand as soon as possible.

COMMITTEE DECISION: Having consensed to support this resolution and forward it to the Green Party of California for endorsement the Green Party of San Mateo County respectfully requests inclusion in the May 2007 agenda of this resolution.

TIME LINE: Immediate implementation including but not limited to a press release and posting to GPCA's website.

RESOURCES: Administration time and resources to place on General Assembly agenda. Time of the General Assembly for deliberation. Media time for press release. Information Technology time to place on GPCA's website.