There are lots of depressing things to ponder. There are also some grounds for optimism about the long term future of our civilisation.<\/p>\n
1. Food \u2013 you don\u2019t need fertiliser to feed the present population (or something like it) \u2013 see the Cuba experience<\/a>; There are lots of depressing things to ponder. There are also some grounds for optimism about the long term future of our civilisation. 1. Food \u2013 you don\u2019t need fertiliser to feed the present population (or something like it) \u2013 … Continue reading
2. EROEI \u2013 we have established technologies that have significantly positive EROEI \u2013 notably wind and solar;
3. Waste \u2013 western society is profoundly wasteful, and there is a lot of fat that can be relatively painlessly trimmed away (have car pools for example; insulate our homes; switch lights off when we\u2019re not in the room\u2026);
4. Accumulated capital \u2013 the fossil fuels haven\u2019t just been used for Christmas lights \u2013 we also have accumulated an awful lot of wealth (like electric trains, internet=telecommuting etc) and a lot of knowledge (like the importance of hygiene);
5. Finance and law \u2013 the doomer perspective that capitalism is a Ponzi scheme established by fiat money is profoundly mistaken;
6. State power \u2013 the UK has resources to significantly moderate the impact of an oil price shock, eg by lowering the very high taxes on petrol (which will minimise the immediate economic problem), and it is also financially solvent. There are also existing plans for rationing essential goods, and the experience of WW2 is a good folk memory for enabling that to happen effectively. Unfortunately these items don\u2019t apply to the US;
7. War \u2013 the conflict over the resources will concentrate our minds very swiftly. It\u2019ll be horrible, but working together \u2013 which the war will demand \u2013 will be the only way through. That will be a good thing;
8. God \u2013 come let us return to the Lord, for he has torn us and he will<\/b> heal us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"