Hypothetically, what if there's no substitute for fossil fuels?

Question

Tell me how you think the world would change if fossil fuels simply became too expensive to use for daily driving around, and alternative energy sources such as ethanol, solar, and wind aren't enough to fill that energy void? What if even hybrids use too much fuel to be viable? What if conservation isn't enough to continue our current way of life? What if that magic technology everyone hopes will supply us with unlimited cheap energy never comes?

Some people predict the end of the world, caused by a world war over the last remaining cheap fuel sources. Some imagine a modest return to local, supportive communities and cooperative living. What do you think would happen?

Some things to think about:

Farms use a tremendous amount of fertilizer and pesticide made from oil.

Almost everything the average person buys right now comes from hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Most electricity is generated by fossil fuels.

Answer 1

I'm going to run around in a chicken suit wielding an RPG-7.

Answer 2

you got a point most only think of gas or diesel when petroleum is mentioned, have no idea of all the resources available rather cheaply from petro or coal

Answer 3

we all die

Answer 4

There is no magic technology or fuel. As gas prices rise people will find other ways of survival. The world is not going to end because we can't live in the burbs and work in the city driving our gas powered cars. We will begin to conserve more and use the alternatives more and more because as gas prices skyrocket the others become comparatively less expensive. Like the lady said earlier farms don't have to use a tremendous amount of fertilizers, it's just easier and cheaper.

Answer 5

Yes,there will be wars but not we know them today.Yes our lifestyle will be drastically changed,our main concern will turn to food instead of every appliance that runs on electricity if we even have any.I don't imagine our communities will be of much help,when we have a disaster now its the people who get out and help their neighbors not the city,they are slow.Even with the millions for special training.I believe we should have already been looking into wind,solar and anything else instead of squashing the new techonology,money will not help any of us then sad world don't you think?It will be worse than before because we are so dependent on the way our world is today.Just my thoughts.

Answer 6

Global warming would increase and we all would die

Answer 7

Were doomed I say, DOOMED?

Answer 8

There is hope - don't stop looking.  "There are more than one way to skin a cat."

Car runs only on compressed air coming in 2008.

Solar panels now make twice as much electricity as before.  It's just a matter of time before it gets better.  The first airplane only flew a hundred feet.  Give it time.

Vermicast (worm p**p) is slowly replacing chemical fertilizers.  Worm tea when sprayed on plants repel some plant diseases.  It just a matter of education and time when organic farms will take over.

We can get clean electricity by dams, wind, solar, geothermal and ocean power.  We must change for the future of our existence.  There is always hope.

Answer 9

What a fun hypothetical.  

First, that will suddenly thrust my husband and myself to "the top of the food chain, " socially, as well as economically.  

Right now, we are only lowly permaculture farmers, with my husband also holding an off farm job working on commercial wind turbines.

Our farm however is almost entirely self sufficent.  We produce meat goats, and meat rabbits for sale.  We grow the hay for the livestock.  We also grow rapeseed (canola) to make our own biofuel to run our trucks and tractors.  We also have horses, Friesians, Arabs, and Draft Horses & one pony.  

Right now we are not concidered wealthy people by any means.  Suddenly we would become extremely wealthy people, as we could continue to not only feed ourselves, but our neighbors as well (that way they have a vested interest in keeping us safe and alive).

We are well armed, and my husbands best friend is a gunsmith, who makes our personal gun cabinet look like cap guns, compaired to what he owns.  

We also all own and know how to use compound bows, and fishing tackle.

We have a vast library of really useful, and informative books.

We'd have to resort to a wood stove  for heating our current house.  The wood cook stove would also have to be re-installed.  

After we build our straw bale house however, we would not only have full time electric (via wind, solar & probably hydro), our heat will be provided via a Central Boiler (brand name).  

We do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers, so our farming methods wouldn't change at all.

Quiet frankly the most difficult thing I could envision in the future if such a thing happened would be running out of lids for my canning jars.  You cannot re-use lids for canning jars, but must buy new ones.  

I'm going to miss chocolate...a lot.  Fortunatly I have a very large supply of cocco powder and will be able to make chocolate baked goods for many years.  

I already grind my own wheat  to make flour for bread, so already know how to do that from scratch.  We also butcher our own animals, so have the equipment and knowledge on how to do that.

We live very rural.  High mountain desert area.  The hordes of people that would gush forth from starving cities would die off before making it to our farm.  The mountains..the winters...the desert...to harsh a climate for those unprepaired and unknowledable.  So we are pretty safe from being over run and over whelmed.  

Our neighbor keeps bees, and I know where there are a lot more hives.  We'd have honey and wax for candles.

We live in Idaho, in the heart of potato country.  We'd be able to add potatoes to our crops, and sugar beets as well.  Sugar beets would continue us to be able to have sugar (as well as the honey).  Very important in the making of alchohol for both a trade good, and for fuel for trucks and tractors.

We only own old John Deere tractors.  They were manufactured to be able to run on anything, gas, alchohol, desiel, kerosine, biofuels, ect.  

The main thing that would change of course would be that my husband would no longer go to work off farm.  Why work someplace else, when you are as wealthy as we are?   Besides, the farm would then need even more attention, as we had to teach our neighbors how to care for themselves (although some of them would do pretty well without our help).

Hubby and I pride ourselves on being as self sufficent as possible.  We already live a lifestyle most people be striving to try and GAIN, if your hypothetical situation ever came to pass.

Other than suddenly being concidered VERY wealthy, things just wouldn't change that much for us.

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years