from
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
A March 2005 report prepared for the US Department of Energy confirmed dire warnings of the investment banking community. Entitled "The Mitigation of the Peaking of World Oil Production," the report observed:
Without timely mitigation, world supply/demand balance will be achieved
through massive demand destruction (shortages), accompanied by huge
oil price increases, both of which would create a long period of
significant economic hardship worldwide.
Waiting until world conventional oil production peaks before initiating
crash program mitigation leaves the world with a significant liquid fuel
deficit for two decades or longer.
The report went on to say:
The problems associated with world oil production peaking will not be
temporary, and past “energy crisis” experience will provide relatively little
guidance. The challenge of oil peaking deserves immediate, serious
attention, if risks are to be fully understood and mitigation begun on a
timely basis.
. . . the world has never faced a problem like this. Without massive
mitigation more than a decade before the fact, the problem will be
pervasive and will not be temporary. Previous energy transitions were
gradual and evolutionary. Oil peaking will be abrupt and revolutionary.
As one commentator recently observed, the reason our leaders are acting like desperados is because we have a desperate situation on our hands.
If you've been wondering why the Bush administration has been spending money, cutting social programs, and starting wars like there's no tomorrow, now you have your answer: as far as they are concerned, there is no tomorrow.
What is particularly disturbing is that, as insane as it may sound, they might be correct in their thinking.
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Is the US Department of Energy an alarmists group? Ahhh no. Im not trying to scare anyone, its a warning and something to think about. If you think about how much we depend on the stuff, every single thing we do ties into oil one way or another, getting to work, purchasing things, everything we do everyday encluding other energy options. Its not practical to use more energy to build something that produces less, we have no other options. The price and energy to get the raw materals, oil, the price and energy used to build and run a plant to make other energy, oil, the price and energy to get to the job, oil, the price and energy used to get the product to the stores, oil. So if you take all the energy used to get and make and ship say a solar panel, or a hydrogen-powered car you lose more than you gained. I havent seen any big changes in how do things yet, and i dont see anyway of getting around not being so dependent on oil, as the price of oil goes up so does the price of making another energy source, i think its too late, every single we do here america is gonna change one way or another, its not gonna be pretty, we'll have to wait and see.
Being aware of it and taking a few small steps (or some big ones) may easy the heart ache you face in the near future. Having some sort of well thought out plan on how your gonna eat and where your gonna live could save you and your family. If nothing happens what have you lost? better safe than sorry, the longer you wait the harder its gonna be. Global oil production and gas prices is going to affect you one way or another, thats reality, like it or not. I too have some hope that something can change our future, but its just hope, i dont have too much faith in letting someone else think of a way to save me. Does that change your mind any?
If i came to work tomarrow and saw the railroads where buying steam engines to run on coal and wood again, stocked up on parts for them, had a plan to mine coal and cut timber the hard way like the old days, incouraged employees to move closer to work so they could walk or ride a bike to work, id be a bit less nervous. Is it gonna happen? i doubt it. Will they try when things get tough? i hope so. Would it change every as i know it? YES