I don’t see why we should return to the "stone age" as many fear; ancient Greece and Rome weren’t "stone age", yet were "oilliess" civilisations. So were ancient Egypt and the Pre-Columbian Maya, etc. If the list is expanded, ancient Persia, China and India can also be included in this inventory... Even 18th century and early 19th century Europe were without oil, and much nearer to us in time and culture. A drastic drop in world population will no doubt be inevitable: perhaps the present 6 billion will dwindle to around 2 billion - as this growth was a direct consequence of the widespread capitalistic human exploitation of petroleum energy. We can even maintain an early 20th century or Soviet communist style of controlled economic industrial welfare state based society on coal resources - which can last us another 300 years (inspite of the pollution), with the remaining petroleum being a state monopoly reserved exclusively for the armed forces,etc. We can use trams, steam power and sailing vessels, with the more advanced aircraft and ships (and automobiles) remaining an exclusive, limited preserve of the government, which won’t be "democratic". Sorry folks, but that is how it will be. I don’t mean to sound dreary, but "free" capitalism is an illusion, which in addition to being barbaric and competitive - is also unsustainable and digs its own grave. This temporary "Soviet" style situation will obtain till some Einstein among us discovers a more efficient form of sustainable energy (which will be the goal of that government) and till suh time as humanity learns some moral lessons about the use (and misuse) of technological power and consumerism and the collective responsibilities that they carry. Even the most secular person will be forced to acknowledge that Peak Oil can in fact be regarded as a divine punishment for evil poulations, which though advanced and "civilised", care naught about anything but their voracious, selfish consumerism - and which keep it up as if there were no tomorrow in sight.
I don’t see why we should return to the "stone age" as many fear; ancient Greece and Rome weren’t "stone age", yet were "oilliess" civilisations. So were ancient Egypt and the Pre-Columbian Maya, etc. If the list is expanded, ancient Persia, China and India can also be included in this inventory... Even 18th century and early 19th century Europe were without oil, and much nearer to us in time and culture. A drastic drop in world population will no doubt be inevitable: perhaps the present 6 billion will dwindle to around 2 billion - as this growth was a direct consequence of the widespread capitalistic human exploitation of petroleum energy. We can even maintain an early 20th century or Soviet communist style of controlled economic industrial welfare state based society on coal resources - which can last us another 300 years (inspite of the pollution), with the remaining petroleum being a state monopoly reserved exclusively for the armed forces,etc. We can use trams, steam power and sailing vessels, with the more advanced aircraft and ships (and automobiles) remaining an exclusive, limited preserve of the government, which won’t be "democratic". Sorry folks, but that is how it will be. I don’t mean to sound dreary, but "free" capitalism is an illusion, which in addition to being barbaric and competitive - is also unsustainable and digs its own grave. This temporary "Soviet" style situation will obtain till some Einstein among us discovers a more efficient form of sustainable energy (which will be the goal of that government) and till suh time as humanity learns some moral lessons about the use (and misuse) of technological power and consumerism and the collective responsibilities that they carry. Even the most secular person will be forced to acknowledge that Peak Oil can in fact be regarded as a divine punishment for evil poulations, which though advanced and "civilised", care naught about anything but their voracious, selfish consumerism - and which keep it up as if there were no tomorrow in sight.