THE RIDE TO THE TOP
As far as I can see; we all agree on one thing – that once we hit the peak, it’s all downhill. The ride up to the peak has been well documented, but the ride down, we are warned – is likely to be bumpy and very unpredictable.
However, once this situation has been taken in and PO is treated with the respect that it deserves; your life will never be the same again (read How Peak Oil Changed My Life by Aaron Wissner). Cars and gas stations will never look the same. Bumper-to-bumper commute traffic will give you time to muse about being in the ’same boat’.
A WIN-WIN SITUATION, IF EVERYONE ACTS NOW
But no matter which theory you subscribe to; acting on Peak Oil is a win-win situation, it can’t hurt to implement some downsizing in your life, to lower your carbon footprint, to start a garden, to bond together with your community, to re-plan a more aesthetically pleasing suburbia, to treat gasoline as the precious resource that it really is – and to realize the extraordinary value you get out of each cup.
Its a good idea to think about gasoline by the cup (rather than gallons). Why? Well, Peak Oil proponents like to compare a delicious cup of fresh perked gasoline to American’s other staple; the morning cup of coffee. Which do you think costs more? Gasoline is just about the cheapest liquid you can buy in America!
You are free to act or react to Peak Oil; or not to act at all. As Matt Savinar says: “‘Reality’ will take care of you”.
POSSIBLE REALITIES (ONE OF WHICH IS GUARANTEED, SAYS THE PIPER)
(graph courtesy Gail Tverberg)
According to Peak Oil theorists, not all is necessarily ‘doom and gloom’ (I will tell you a secret; we like to see who can dig up the ’scariest’ daily news, hoping to hit the motherlode – and narely a day disappoints! (Read Let’s play “Peak Oil Shock Me” by Kurt Cobb)
Richard Heinberg, from “Peak Everything“:
“Who among us hasn’t fretted over the likely impacts of societal collapse on oneself, family, and friends? Of course, it’s perfectly sensible to make some preparations. We should have some food stored, we should be gardening and making efforts to reduce our energy usage and need for transportation. But the obsessive thought that it’s not enough can be paralyzing.
What if financial collapse proceeds to economic, political, and cultural collapse; what could one possibly do to insulate oneself in that case? Tough question. There are too many unknowns. No matter what we do, there can never be a guarantee that we will be immune to the consequences of Peak Oil and Climate Change.”
PICK A CURVE
You have a choice of curves (Dry Dipstick Scenarios page , OilScenarios.info); from optimistic to total panic, and a few in-between.
However, even practical doomsayers like Matt Savinar, Richard Heinberg, Matthew Simmons and Colin Campbell all hope they’re wrong; but then again say that it’s not likely.
OilScenarios has done an excellent job of documenting a series of five different scenarios:
ACT RESPONSIBLY
Your survival plans and daily thinking will be influenced by which scenario you adopt. Initial scenario, that is – because until the trigger point is reached; it’s anybody’s (educated) guess. More importantly, it is critical that you are able to adjust your personal strategy to follow the actual developments at they unfold.
STAY ON TOP
In fact, events are unfolding before our very eyes. Right now. For example, this popped up in front of me today and nearly knocked me off my chair:
Eco-Anxiety: A Call to Action
Sarah Anne Edwards, HopeDance
And So It Begins…The signs are all about. Each day there are more, and they are escalating in seriousness.
• Delta Airlines is significantly cutting its number of flights this summer.
• Flights that aren’t full in time for take off will be cancelled.
• Middle-aged white-collar workers in their 40s and 50s are moving back into their parents’ homes for shelter.
• Twenty-four states are now paying $4 or higher for gasoline.
Therefore, to stay on top of things:
1. Read Energy Bulletin
2. Then check The Oil Drum
3. And look at more news at Peak Oil in the News
(thanks to Dry Dipstick)
In the meantime, hang on for the ride of your lives…
.
2 Comments
May 3, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Thanks for using my graph. You might mention my name.
May 5, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Great to know that you manage to put this online. It would be great to listen to what others has to say.
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Do you know how to save 70c per gallon on gas?