WAKE UP, PETE!

by Kevin Moore

Pete Hodgson, Minister of Transport Parliament Building Wellington

21st April 2004

Dear Minister,

Oil crash

I have been writing to the government for the past four years, attempting to alert previous Ministers of Transport and Finance to the coming oil crisis — commonly referred to as oil crash.

I regret to inform you that on every occasion the response from the various ministers has been pathetic, entirely idiotic or some kind of fob-off.

It seems quite inconceivable that the government is utterly unaware of information that is now widely available on the Internet, yet my recent interview with Ross Robertson did indicate that could be the case.

Oil crash was previously projected to occur around 2006-2008, with most analysts predicting a complete meltdown of all industrialised societies by 2009-2011. I draw you attention to the fact that the oil industry is now in utter turmoil and oil crash is probably now upon us (exact analysis is impossible, since all oil companies and governments have been lying and continue to lie) but all the evidence points to the supply of oil not meeting demand later this year, a situation the government is clearly entirely unprepared for: indeed the government is still promoting policies that are geared toward increased consumption!

I suggest the government take the following immediate steps to reduce the impact of what will undoubtedly be the first of several catastrophes to hit this [and practically every other] nation (exactly as I predicted in Burn Baby Burn, a copy of which was supplied to you more than two years ago).

1. An immediate implementation of an open road speed limit of 90km/hr for light vehicles
2. An immediate implementation of an open road speed limit of 70km for all heavy vehicles.
3. An immediate reduction of all urban speed limits to 40km/hr
4. Strict enforcement of the above limits by way of a rapid and massive increase in funding and personnel for enforcement.
5. An immediate revision of vehicle annual road user charges and registration fees directly in proportion to engine size. i.e. a 150cc scooter is charged at 10% of the fee that a 1500cc car, which is charged at half the rate of a 3 litre vehicle.
6. An immediate surcharge of 50cents per litre on fuel, rising to $1 per litre in 2005.
7. An immediate imposition of a 20% tariff on all vehicles rated over 1,000cc, all powerboats, outboards etc.
8. A hard-hitting public awareness campaign, via television, radio and newspaper advertising.
9. Rapid promotion of sustainable communities — i.e. ones in which work is very close residential areas and where the use of bicycles and footpaths is safe.

Failure to adopt the measures suggested (or similar ones) can only be interpreted as a clear indication that the government has its ‘head in the sand’ regarding what will be the first of a set of major catastrophic events. (Exhaustion of gas supplies, electricity shortages, collapse of fisheries, increased incidence of infrastructure damage due to storm damage, failure of food supplies due to lack of fuel for mechanised farming, lack of fertilisers and drought and other unforeseen consequences of global warming etc.)

New Zealand is now suffering the effects of thirty years of disastrous governance, but clearly we have almost reached the end of the road; there can be no reasonable prospect of rectifying any of the catastrophic situations the nation now faces, since the majority are world-wide: we can simply implement policies that will cushion the fall. And we clearly have just a few months to implement those. More failure must inevitably result in absolute mayhem within 5 years.

I trust that you will be sufficiently responsible not to allow this very last opportunity to prevent utter catastrophe slip past.

Yours faithfully,

Kevin Moore
Environmental Consultant and Educator