Of Blood and oil 2

The discussion surrounding the blood diamond thing got me thinking about a couple of things.

1. Do we have a responsibility as Christians to use less oil? This is a pretty divisive question. I tend to shy away from moral imperatives. So I think broadly, no. But on a personal level I think it is an issue we need to think about in light of our faith. We are the stewards both of our own resources and of the earth's resources. On both counts reducing oil use makes sense.

Using less oil saves money and allows us to put it towards more productive uses. Not only do I save money on gas by riding my bike or carpooling with my wife, but I also save money on the second car I don't have.

Using less oil also conserves more oil. No matter how much oil there is inside the earth there is a finite amount. There won't be any more--but maybe Christ will return (P.J. O'Rourke disagrees with me--he points to the example of whale oil. In the late nineteenh century we were running out of oil to power our lamps, but we still have whales and energy. So presumably when the price is right we will figure out an alternative.) There is also the issue of global warming, which I personally don't put much stock in (twenty years ago the scary prospect was global cooling. The same people fretting now about the whole earth being turned into a tropical paridise were then fretting about the whole earth turning into an Eskimo village.) ( The earth was significantly hotter than even the most extreme predictions at many points in its history and somehow species survived.) But burning that much of anything can't be good for us or for the envionment.

That said I think that using less oil is a good thing. I also think that the argument about being a good steward of my own resources is more important than the other.

2. Who decided that diamonds cause wars? Africa is the most war-torn area on the planet, and most of those wars aren't even in areas where diamonds are. Look at Chad, the Sudan, Somolia, these places don't even produce diamonds. The ones war that were ostensibly caused by diamonds were about a whole host of issues. Most diamond miners outside the major companies are self-employed diggers who dig for themselves not to fund a war. And DeBeers is a major force behind the anti-blood diamond movement (speaking of conflicts of interest). I just haven't seen any evidence that diamonds in any real way actually cause wars. It seems to me like what I said it was--western guilt at work.