Could the future with less oil be preferable to the present?

Question

Entire quote “The concept of energy descent, and of the Transition approach, is a simple one: that the future with less oil could be preferable to the present, but only if sufficient creativity and imagination are applied early enough in the design of this transition.”

-Rob Hopkins, The Transition handbook

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/41091

Could the future with less oil be preferable to the present?

Answer 1

That is going to be a VERY scary world.  I'm FAR better prepared for such a world that 99.99999% of people too, so my statement should not be taken lightly.

Like the Author's quote, "ONLY if sufficient creativity and imagination are applied early enough in the design of this transition."

Problem is, not even close to enough creativity, imaginations, and solutions are being sourced to the upcoming problem of peak oil.

What will happen to countries like the U.K. that depend on importing 60% of their food from other countries?  It will not be pretty.

How about the U.S. which can still grow 80% of it's food, but receives 90% of its medication from overseas?

The suburbs will vanish entirely.  People will live in cities, where there will be more jobs, or they will live in the country, on farms, and work extremely hard (plowing with horses, or oxen anyone?).

The problem is NOT going to be addressed with any seriousness by any politician, or Government.  The masses of voting humanity are far too much in denial about a potential problem.  They do NOT want THEIR lives inconvenienced (it's ok if you inconvenience OTHER people though).  Politicians also need the backing and monetary support of big business.  No business that is dependent on oil (which is every single business) is going to support a politician, or Government that tries to curb the way they do business, or make their profits.

In a really BIG way, I like the idea of a future with less oil.  However the path that leads to the future with less oil is one of violence that few can imagine.  Wars, failures of Governments, famines with BILLIONS of people dead, massive migrations of people, medical care becoming one of dandelion roots, and willow bark tea.

Few people realize the scale of the suffering that is going to happen.

About 50-100 years AFTER the oil ends will probably be a conciderably nicer world, in areas that like minded people, with sound goals banded together.  Otherwise you are going to have little pockets of humanity ruled by savage warlords.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Answer 2

i toatally agree with them

Answer 3

yes defiently

Answer 4

The future with less pollution will be preferable (and reducing oil is one of the ways of achieving that) - so YES!

Answer 5

We are going to have a future with less oil.Get used to it.We can make it a better future if we plan and prepare for less oil.

Answer 6

Of couse, but we need to increase our use of altenative energy sources (wind, solar, water, etc.) until we switch it around and oil is considered the alternative.

Answer 7

the future of this world is something which people cannot ever say willl be in a certain state. everything is uncertain.

oil is an amazing property used in almost everything somehow. the keyboard you are typing on, most likely is plastic, and is therefore oil-based.

our society as humans is dependent on things running smoothly, to build on what we already have and develope it further.

oil, has damaged our planet greatly. between destroying land, oil spills, wars, greed and power. but, it is not the oil that has created the problem.

once again, it was/is us. the oil was an oppurtunity, which humans, as always, take advantage of. never any long term planning. no restrictions. just power and money. power and money.

it is people's absence from the future which would make the future more preferable. probably, as nothing is certain, but it is probable.

unless something comes up now to the elite few who govern this power and money method, will continue to use oil until there is none left. but by that time, there will most likely be equally pressing issues at hand.

i don't know what will happen, but i know things must change.

Answer 8

I don't think it will be better but it is unavoidable.

A future with less oil would mean a nicer environment and a healthier life for us and the world. A future without oil would also mean that there would have to be a greater effort to implement other energy sources unless we wish to sacrifice todays lifestyle.

Answer 9

Could be, if we ever get moving to make it so.   Waiting until the last second to board and lower the lifeboats doesn't work.   We've gotta start planning now, but then people in power would lose money if we actually found something viable.