Volcanic message

The eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano last week and the crippling of air traffic across Europe serve as a reminder of how vulnerable our civilizations remain to forces of nature. It is not just peak oil considerations but natural calamity which could force us to rethink our fuel policies.

The last time Eyjafjallajokull erupted was in 1821-1823 and the eruptions continued for over a year. Even more alarming is that 60 years later a sister Icelandic volcano called Laki erupted for 8 months. It sent 3.4 cubic miles of lava, 8 million tons of hydrogen fluoride and 120 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the air. This eruption created environmental havoc around the earth for many years. In Britain, some 30,000 were killed by the toxic gases and in many countries still more perished from the extremes of heat and cold. There were famines in Europe, Africa and the Far East. North America underwent one of the longest and coldest winters on record.

In a telling example of how everything is interrelated, scientists tell us that the melting of Iceland's glaciers reduces pressure on the rock and allows the "hotspot" of magna below the island to break through more frequently. Thus the long-term trend is for increasing volcanic activity over the Icelandic "hot spot."

While Eyjafjallajokull is still erupting vigorously, the ash is no longer being blown as high into the air and much of the magna is being ejected in the form of molten lava. However, should the volcano resume spewing ash high into the atmosphere for an extended period, there will obviously be serious economic disruptions - first in Europe and eventually all over the world.

Patterns of energy demand will be affected and slowing economic activity could temporarily reduce the demand for oil products. In the last week some 100,000 flights were cancelled and the demand for jet fuel fell by two thirds. Losses in the first five days of restricted air travel are currently estimated to be on the order of $1.2 billion and are likely to grow as the travel situation will take many weeks to return to normal.

On the other hand, the crisis shows the ridiculous, unsustainable waste in transporting completely ‘unnecessary crap’ around the world in airplanes. In Boston, they are running out of certain kinds of fish. BMW is having problems putting cars together in South Carolina; they fly the transmissions in from Germany. In Kenya, the greenhouses by the shores of Lake Naivasha, flowers are being fed to the animals since they can't be shipped to Europe.

Purple orchids. Fish for Boston (which is beside an ocean). Car Transmissions! Now while all that may comprise business for some people, when we know the carbon footprint of flying, should we be flying orchids and fish around the globe? Time to give up on some comforts would you agree? Think global, act local?