Wednesday, 17 October 2007

Peak oil is coming, are we prepared ?



This scary graph is from http://lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/, a website on Peak Oil. It shows that we will soon be feeling the effect of scarce fuel, as the price keeps going up. With our society on the verge of such a crisis, you would think that it would be a hot topic of discussion and government activity. Shame on the big parties, they have barely mentioned it. According to www.energybulletin.net/34981.html ‘Neither Gordon Brown nor the environment secretary, Hilary Benn, have made speeches on climate change since Mr Brown became prime minister.’ Not a good sign.

Peak Oil will have an enormous impact on our way of life, as we may not be able to feed ourselves in the future. Populations have been moving away from the coutry as food gathering has become more automated, increasing living in the cities. This may well soon be reversed, as getting food to the cities may be a problem, and workers are needed to produce and transport the food. Trains and canals may be back in fashion. Maybe horses and carts will come back. I heard a radio programme on how boats may in the future be powered by flying kites. We know that a hundred years ago we could survive without oil, now there are more people but we are also far more knowledgeable, we have renewable energy. I wouldn’t rely on nuclear power though, as the reserves of uranium are also limited. Its been arguable whether Peak Oil or Climate Change would impact first, but perhaps they will both happen together, and many of the other problems in the news at the moment will have to fit into the new world order. Obesity will reduce as the sedentary lifestyle will be a thing of the past. Middle Eastern oil rich countries will soon find themselves poor and desperate to survive.

It will be a Green future, or no future.

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