Lifelong Learning
Fueling More Than Our Cars
Seminar examines how oil economy influences politics, societies around the world
Seeing $4 a gallon on the gas pumps last volatility and human suffering,
year had motorists looking down the they said.
road to see what the future holds for an The phrase “resource curse”
oil-fueled lifestyle. Was this price spike an describes the pattern. A country
aberration or a portent of worse things to discovers oil or natural gas and
come? The situation challenged everyone becomes a target for rapid extrac-who drives a car, boards a plane or enjoys a tion. Oil or gas flows out, and
home that is not too hot and not too cold money flows in. In some cases,
to examine energy habits. such as Norway, Britain or the
This is the frame of mind that brought U.S., a stable democracy is in
together in February a range of listeners place. But, as Hartlyn noted, in
and questioners at the Adventures in Ideas many if not most of the oil-rich
seminar “Oil, Power & Social Stability.” The countries, oil money precedes
seminars are presented by UNC’s Program strong governance;“petro-political
in the Humanities and Human Values and states” become “rentier states,”
SUSAN SIMONE
the GAA. which derive all or a substantial
Gerald Cecil, professor of physics and portion of their national revenues
astronomy at UNC, started on familiar if from the rent of indigenous
gloomy ground in presenting graphs and resources to external clients’ coun-
pie charts pointing in one direction: Oil and tries. These states are so flush with
gas reserves are finite. The ability to extract oil revenues that they do not need
these resources is at its peak. We are, Cecil to tax and, consequently, may not
said, in our “first forced energy transition.” respond to their citizens.
Gerald Cecil, professor of
physics and astronomy at
UNC, above, used graphics
to show how finite oil and
gas resources are. Julius
Nyang’oro, professor and
chair of UNC’s department
of African and Afro-American
studies, left, discusses the
issues with James Owre of
Chapel Hill, who has lived in
Nigeria.
This transition is going to mean more Nyang’oro presented some of the most elites repeats in the Caspian Basin, but there
than buying a hybrid car. Individuals and extreme cases of the “resource curse” in is a slice of hope in the possibility of more
nations will need to look at everything Africa. There, the 1884 Berlin Convention responsible ownership and increased corpo-from biofuels to nuclear energy and doing divided up the governance of Africa among rate social responsibility. In Azerbaijan, British
so in the context of what Cecil calls “ener- the European powers and left a legacy of Petroleum has entered into a regional devel-gy equity” — a goal that asks the world to colonial rule. The government was concen- opment initiative, the government has created
provide every child equal possibilities in life trated in the cities, and nationalist movements a Natural Resource Fund, and an Extracted
by making energy equally available. arose and ruled from there. The discovery Industries Transparency Initiative puts oil
While debates about peak oil production of oil and gas took place in remote areas, revenue in the public record. This has stabi-are known territory, the rest of the seminar but government stayed in the hands of a lized the government and made spending
moved to less familiar ground, examining small urban elite. In Equatorial Guinea, this more responsible.
the political situation in countries that are concentration of power is in the hands of The speakers view this as a tiny window
the world’s fossil-fuel suppliers. Escalating one family. of hope in a largely unstable situation. The
demand for fossil fuels and the ensuing “People understand that there is all this future, they said, is going to involve not
global damage does not stop with a carbon wealth,” Nyang’oro said, “and they put only a rearrangement of energy sources and
footprint. It also leaves a social and political pressures on the Nguema family, which has energy use but a re-balancing worldwide of
imprint. Jonathan Hartlyn, professor of always served only the capital city, Malabo. priorities, with a needed move away from
political science at UNC, reviewed the The response of the family is to tighten up. dependency on oil as a source of fuel and
political consequences in Latin America; They do not trust anyone outside of the wealth to investments in agriculture, indus-Julius Nyang’oro, professor and chair of the family, not even the military, so they hire try and economic diversification. Building a
department of African and Afro-American mercenaries.” The result is a mix of poverty broader economic base, they said, would
studies at UNC, covered Africa; and Erika and militarization exacerbated by the gov- support democratic institutions and provide
Weinthal, associate professor of environ- ernment’s manipulation of rural tribal and all people with sustainable, healthy lives. ■
mental policy at Duke University, discussed ethnic loyalties to serve its own ends, not — Susan Simone
the Caspian Basin, bounded by Russia and the needs of the people.
other areas that were states under the former “When we look at the wide spectrum of
Soviet Union. In all of these oil-rich areas, these countries,” Weinthal asked, “is there a
the rising price of oil (and its propensity for possible solution?” The problem of depend-unanticipated drops) has led to political ence on oil revenues and the power of small
ONLINE: Adventures in Ideas seminars are
presented by the UNC Program in the Humanities
and Human Values and the GAA. For a schedule
of programs, visit
alumni.unc.edu/CCLL.
