Peak Oil Crisis

Prepare to Survive!
Why are indications of peak oil an oil crisis? The peak oil crisis is more about social and economic suffering than the end of oil!

Warning:

The following may be very traumatic to think about. We will need all our strength and courage to deal with the consequences of what "peak oil" and de-industrialization means. We can handle the truth and we have the right to know what the most frightening and challenging issue is that we are facing in the world. Knowing what difficulties are in front of us is the first step in choosing for ourselves how we will react. If this is the first time for you to learn about the worlds energy situation (oil and natural gas) then you will need some time to think about these coming events, and more time to do your own research to fully satisfy your mind and affirm your ability to get through the difficult times ahead.

Prepare To Survive The Suffering of the New World disOrder
An introduction to the peak oil energy crisis.

It is estimated that the world may have enough oil to year 2030 at current consumption, and enough natural gas to year 2060 if all known reserves were recoverable. Life will not continue as is until every last drop is gone. There continues to be small amounts of oil suspected as reserves around the world, but not in the quantities that will alter the clear shortages and competition for it. It is very unlikely that a child born after 2005 will ever need a driver license, and it is very likely that before 2020 many people around the world will be living without the benefits of oil and will lose the use of natural gas at the same time.

It is likely that a World War (the energy war) has started, and as limited oil reserves are depleted aggression will escalate. The worlds' remaining known approximate oil reserves 2004-2005: Saudi Arabia 24%, Iraq 10%, Iran 10%, Kuwait 9%, United Arab Emirates 9%, Russia 9%, Venezuela 8%, Mexico 5%, United States 5% (not counting oil shale), Nigeria 2%, Libya 2%, China 2%, Kazakhstan 2%, Algeria 1.5%, Canada .5% (not counting tar/oil sands), Norway .5%, Indonesia, .5%. All percentages are rounded and approximated. Oil from tar sands and oil shale are not included because the high amount of energy inputs, water consumption, and waste production will likely hinder these sources of oil from being anything more than limited supplies. The nations most near and friendly to us, Mexico and Canada, have very limited reserves and are rapidly being depleted as we are. The remaining oil reserves are in nations in less friendly regions and the oil is in areas more difficult to extract. Although we hear about "discoveries," our future oil security is seriously at risk.

Because private companies and nations have over-estimated oil reserves it is difficult to be exact but these estimates of world oil reserves are close and further research will reflect this. Also, rapid exploitation may have damaged many reserves' wells and will limit production. It may be that we (the world) have much less than is believed! The United States past its "peak oil" point back in the early 1970's ( for further research refer to Peak Oil Crisis Books) and now imports about two-thirds (2/3) of its oil. The U.S. economy and the current American way of life is supported by energy from other nations. Those nations that have not already past peak oil (maximum production) are very near it. In the future, production will decrease while at the same time demand increases. The spread between supply and demand will cause higher prices (for all products), and international tensions leading to violence.

In the near future products made from oil (plastics and petrochemicals) will become very expensive. Also, everything is transported by oil (gas/diesel) and will go up in price because of the increase in shipping costs.

Many of our homes are heated by heating oil and natural gas. Most electricity is produced from natural gas (propane is liquefied natural gas or LNG) or coal which requires oil (gasoline and diesel fuel) for mining and shipping. Fertilizers and pesticides require oil and/or natural gas for manufacture. Giant agricultural corporations can not feed the world without tractors, fertilizers and pesticides. Industries will not be able to produce our consumer products without oil.

Nations will begin fighting (have begun fighting) for oil and natural gas to save their economies. As people are unable to pay higher prices for manufactured products, employers will begin layoffs and unemployment will increase. The unemployed will not be able to buy, and businesses will close creating more layoffs and homelessness. Protests, riots, and crime will increase and the response will be martial law, a police state, and government seizure of weapons, foods, and medicines for emergency relief and control could happen. All of the efforts to control and protect remaining resources will ultimately fail. This spiral of war, failing businesses, and social decay will get worse in all nations as oil and natural gas resources are depleted.

Because of easy access to fossil fuel energy there is significantly more population than can survive without it. Failing to decrease the increasing population, have we come to the point were we must increase the decreasing population? It is possible that the use of virus, or bacteria to significantly reduce populations will be considered.

What can we do?
Peak Oil Crisis Emergency Survival Preparedness

It is wise to consider the basics of emergency preparedness and survival kits: air, water, food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and community (family, friends, neighbors) because it will take many working together to meet the needs of survival.

We can encourage our community to power our water delivery system with wind and solar energy. We can add photovoltaic solar panels, wind energy turbines, and power storage batteries to our homes and not be dependent on costly natural gas, propane, fuel oil, coal, grid electricity, wood, wood pellets, or other heating means that will likely not be available, or at a price we can afford. We can build homes partially underground and use earth sheltering to significantly reduce heating and cooling costs, and live in homes that will shield us from nuclear weapon radiation fallout. Also, earth provides a foundation for defense from predators, fire and high winds. Depending on location the earths' soil has nearly constant below-frost-line temperature of around ± 55º fahrenheit requiring no cooling and only slight amounts of heating.

We can add a greenhouse to our country life home farmstead, survival retreat land, and learn organic gardening and begin buying the hand tools necessary; grow and use grain, and learn home canning of naturally wholesome homegrown fruits and vegetables. We can learn and begin raising meat rabbits, sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, chickens on pasture; and have an aquaculture pond, or container tanks, for small scale fish farming ( fish are great protein and they generate fertilizer for our gardens). We can add a worm farm to our home gardening for soil improvement and fish food. We can learn about and begin keeping honey bees. We can learn and begin hydroponics, and garden without soil. We can learn about food storage and food combinations for health and fitness. We can live healthy non-self-destructive lifestyles. We can learn about herbal healthcare, grow, and begin using herbs for good health and for making hygiene products. . We can remember that our children will not have prepared foods, grocery stores, shopping malls, hospitals, jobs, or even governments. We can acquire equipment like archery bows, Pellet Air Guns, GPS, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, rifle scopes, weapons and ammunition; and learn self-defense skills. We should remember that storing all these items and making all these preparations might only last a generation because as they wear-out there might not be replacement parts!

What we can do, and what we need, depends on our community (region, rural, urban, hot, cold, etc.), and how people and governments react to the changes, but small-scale sustainable organic subsistence farming is the only real hope.

Can we return to a simpler time before oil and natural gas? In centuries past people had arts, crafts and skills that would allow them to live without fossil fuels. Generally, these skills and crafts are lost. We must again learn how to farm, travel and transport with real horse power and make what we need like a blacksmith, carpenter or craftsman from years past. We went from Stone Age to Information Age, and in the near future we will be on the way back to Stone Age. For those who would enjoy a more simple life like before industrialization then this is a return to a lifestyle long ago lost. Technology has made many things possible but it has brought with it as much bad as good. There may be a better world awaiting us on the other side (of the suffering) but first we must go through the changes. It will be those who have prepared their minds, bodies, spirit, and lifestyle for the changes who will get through the suffering. Starting early and living the self-sufficient/interdependent communal lifestyle before mass unemployment, homelessness, starvation, disease, riots of violent mobs, predatory gangs, Mutant Urban Cannibals (MUC's), and warring nations make preparation impossible is a very wise choice! There will come a time when it is too late. It is likely that most people will get to that time without understanding what is going on.

Era Of Neo-Tribalism Begins

Small clusters of mostly agrarian communal groups, with limited nomadic hunting and gathering opportunities. People will trade/barter with each other in areas not in "hot zones" of radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons.

Although cities might be mostly abandoned, the industrial era buildings can be mined (scavenged) for resources: tools, supplies, clothing, building materials, etc.

Five regions could replace the states (Southern, Southwest, Northwest, Midwest, Northeast/Great Lakes) and possibly be the "New World Order" of the United States, and the coasts, military targets and large cities in war ruins with predator scavengers.

It is impossible to know now how America will look then (after the suffering) but we would be in denial to believe that hungry, sick, angry people and warring nations will not do the worse that we can imagine.

Because of global warming climate changes, weather patterns will change and what was typical year 2000 regional wind, rain, snow, cloud seasons will be significantly different. This makes it hard to plan for wind and solar power, organic agriculture, or sustainable community development for the future.

This is very scary stuff but you do not need to be part of those who will die from freezing, starvation, sickness, or violence. Now is the time to study (books), and practice, while there is a little time.

We should do what we can and hope for the best. Good luck and see you on the other side of the suffering!