Every aspect of American and global life will be affected when oil peaks and production slows. The easy-to-reach, easy-to-refine oil will be gone. It will become more and more difficult, as it takes more and more energy, to produce the oil that is left. As oil production slows, the price of gasoline will begin to rise to a point far above the astronomical prices we recently paid, until production comes to a halt and gas is no longer available.
Gasoline will not be the only place we will see drastic price increases. In fact, as we are an oil based economy, and because we ship everything to and from our points of purchase, we can expect an overall increase in prices. As the cost of fuel increases, so does the cost of shipping, and that increase is passed on to the consumer. Companies like Wal-Mart, who ship everything from toilet seats to T-shirts in from China, will suddenly become the places with the most expensive products. Essentially, life as we know it will come to a screeching halt.
More than the prices of the goods we purchase will be affected when oil peaks and production slows. We are also a society based on electricity, which is made by burning fossil fuels like oil. The cost of making electricity will increase as the ability to make it decreases. In fact, everything will increase in cost when oil production begins to slow. Eventually, America, the world, could plunge into another Great Depression. This time, however, it will take more than implementing new government policies to bring us out. Capitalist America ends when oil production ends.
Although it seems like the world is coming to an end, there are many benefits to losing the world’s oil. First and foremost is the mere fact that the planet will not die at the hands of humans. Oil spills will become a thing of the past when oil tankers glide into non-existence. Fires at oil refineries will also become extinct, as will the chemical and gas leaks that commonly occur at the places of production. As a whole, pollution will decrease exponentially when its number one source is no longer available. The carbon-cycle will eventually even out and, suddenly, humankind isn’t in as much danger as it is when oil is abundant.
Alongside an almost certain guarantee of continued existence, the lives of humans will actually improve when we can no longer drive or fly to desired destinations. With cars and planes grounded, SUV-dependant Americans will be forced to – dare I say it? – walk. We will no longer be able to take the escalator to the second story of the gym, nor will we be able watch the television when electricity production slows as an effect of the peak and eventual loss of oil. McDonald’s will no longer have access to its cows in the Amazon and we will have no choice but to give up Big Macs. Middle-aged college students will no longer have the luxury of cramming Cheez-Its into their mouths as they type last minute papers in well-lit rooms at midnight. In short, Americans will lose weight. The Peak Oil Diet will sweep the nation. The combination of increased exercise plus decreased food and television consumption will bring heart disease and diabetes to a stand-still, increasing the collective lifespan of the new, healthy America.
With a decrease in electricity comes a decrease in EMF emissions, and the debate on the effects of EMFs on the human body becomes a moot point. But let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that EMF emissions do, in fact, cause harm to humans and animals. When these emissions are decreased to such a degree, cancer occurrences may be decreased to the same degree. Add this to the fact that the American lifestyle will most certainly become a much less stressful one and cancer could join heart disease and diabetes as health issues of the past.
The best benefit of losing oil is that the structure of the American family will shift. While we now tend to separate to opposite ends of the house (and opposite ends of the country), we will no longer have the benefit of central heating and will be forced to come together in the same room of the home for light and heat. The result will be family members that know each other. Television will be gone, but Parcheesi will exist til the end of time.
There are several seemingly obvious and immediate solutions to the impending problem of Peak Oil. Oil is not the only fossil fuel Earth produces. Unfortunately, however, it was the most abundant. The remaining fossil fuels, like natural gas and coal, are also running out; switching to either one of them will simply exacerbate their depletion. Natural gas seems to be the most obvious choice, as it burns cleaner than oil, wood or coal. But, like the debate of EMFs and cancer, experts differ in opinion as to the remaining supply of gas in the Earth. Not surprisingly, http://www.NaturalGas.org believes we have a “vast amount” of natural gas remaining in the earth. In fact, the website preaches not conservation but the opposite, celebrating the many uses of gas and the fact that, “new uses are being discovered all the time.”
However, other experts say what we have will last anywhere from 35 years, to 56 years, to even 118 years, all at our current consumption rate (http://www.hubbertpeak.com/gas/) . If America or the world were to switch from oil consumption to natural gas consumption, we would run out of the latter before the former.
Another answer would seem to be found in nuclear energy. But nuclear energy is costly to make and we have yet to find an adequate place for disposing of nuclear waste. Not to mention the fact that accidents on a nuclear level far exceed those of oil. All of the oil spills in history put together pale in comparison to the destruction of just one nuclear meltdown.
So, are we all gonna die?
No. We will survive and continue to thrive because that is what we humans do. We change and evolve with each passing generation. But—and this is a big but—we will have to make some changes if we hope not to revert back to the (literally) dark ages. We will need to make those changes on every level. Global change is a must, but so is community change and personal change. Education is the first step, probably beginning with a grassroots movement. Next, we’ll need a plan for conserving our remaining oil and gas. At some point, the government will have to get involved and implement regulations and incentives. Finally, we’ll have to become serious about alternative fuels and energy sources.
The cliché that knowledge is power has never held so much meaning. Quite literally, educating the masses will increase the longevity of our oil and electricity usage. Start by educating yourself (http://www.peakoil.com/) but don’t rely on the media to self-educate. We’ll need to get the message ourselves and as often as possible. Journalists, editors and producers are human too; this news is no easier for them to digest than it is for you. Don’t stop with the media though. Feel free to use a soapbox. I am not above shouting from rooftops. This is important.
Here are some examples of how to get the word out:
If you have a blog, use it. If you have a MySpace, Facebook, Twitter or Friendster, use it. Write to your mayor, councilperson, Congressperson, Representative or President-elect and tell him or her what you know about the peak of oil and your concerns surrounding the issue. Lastly, make changes in how you consume oil and energy and, most importantly, talk about it. Word of mouth is a powerful tool.
Alongside education, we need to begin extreme conservation now. Immediately. We must conserve what we have left if we are to have enough time to find the next source of energy. In the early 1970s, when America’s supply of oil peaked and production came to a halt, Americans had no choice but to conserve. The long gas lines and limits on fill-up frequency caused Americans to drastically change their driving habits, thus delaying worldwide peak by five to ten years (http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/) .
There are so many ways that we as a nation could cut back on oil usage. We could start by curbing our desire to outdo each other. A bigger car does not equal a better person. But using it less often does. Making fewer trips to the store, or getting there by alternate means, is where we can make the biggest dent in oil – and money – consumption. But, don’t stop there. Using less electricity means burning less oil. Firing up just one tv at night is one way to conserve; cutting shower-time in half is another. These are just a few ideas. There are more ideas here: http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/20things.htm .
At some point, the government will have to get involved in the conservation efforts. This government involvement may mean forced conservation, like rolling blackouts. It may mean the return of the alternating fill-up days of the 1970s. Or, regulations in car production may be the answer. By no longer building gas-consuming cars, American car companies would postpone the peak of oil as they become competitive in the world market, all the while increasing the American economy and the affordability of electric and hydrogen cars. Finally, Congress could issue tax incentives for converting the cars that are already on the road. By giving tax breaks to those who convert their gas or diesel engines to Biodiesel or ethanol, oil consumption is guaranteed to decrease. Find out how to convert your engine to Biodiesel here: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html And how to convert to ethanol here: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_drane.html
Lastly, we’ll need to find new sources of energy, and they’ll need to last longer than oil has lasted. In other words, we need to find a new way to produce energy that has an immeasurable, preferably renewable, source of that energy. Most likely, we will need to use more than one alternative energy, in order to ensure we don’t deplete anymore of Earth’s resources.
Wind power is an obvious answer. In addition to being a renewable energy, using the power of the wind does not pollute its surroundings. Therefore, windmills can be effective on land and at sea. By stacking windmills atop each other and placing them on boats in the middle of the ocean, where the wind is the strongest, there is no land space taken up and no lasting effect on the oceans of the world (http://www.windhunter.org/windhunter.html ). This plan of action could mean endless energy for the world.
Lastly, a yet-undiscovered energy source could mean harnessing the sun’s energy to an exponential power. By duplicating the process of photosynthesis and splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen – energy – humans could potentially find and use the biggest source of energy in the solar system (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070305-split-water.html ). Mimicking photosynthesis could mean more than just renewable energy. It may mean eco-friendly, extra-efficient fuels too. Unfortunately, this process of duplicating plants is still in the drawing board stage.
The acts of education, conservation and alternate sources must be a collective effort, or we will be our own demise. We must get together and act now, knowing that it may take ten years or a hundred and ten years for oil to peak, but peak it will. Conservation must begin on a personal level and expand to include community and global efforts. We must educate ourselves and work collectively, for only then will we find the answers.
Works Cited
Addison, Keith. "Make Your Own Biodiesel." 10 September 2008. Journey to Forever. 9 November 2008 http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html.
Addison, Keith. "Convert Your Car To Alcohol." 10 September 2008. Journey to Forever. 9 Nov 2008 http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_drane.html.
Corporation, Windhunter. Windhunter. 2007. November 1 2008 http://www.windhunter.org/windhunter.html .
Handwerk, Brian. "Splitting Water Molecules the Next "Green" Power Source?" 5 March 2007. National Geographic. 1 November 2008 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070305-split-water.html.
Hubbert Peak of Oil Production. 2007. 17 October 2008
Life After The Oil Crash. 2008. 6 November 2008 http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/.
Natural Gas. 2004. 7 November 2008
Peak Oil. 1 November 2008 http://www.peakoil.com/.
Scorecard, Power. 20 Things You Can Do to Conserve Energy. 3 November 2008 http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/20things.htm ..
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