Ok...I found out about peak oil a couple of days ago and I'm just so shocked and confused right now. I don't know what to do or anything, this may be the result of me not knowing anything about economics/finance (I plan on learning soon). I just don't know what peak oil means for my future. I saw myself since a child becoming a physicist because I have always been deeply interested in that field, but now I don't know what to do. I am going to be 16 in a few weeks by the way. Peak oil is going to happen very soon, becoming a physicist and actually making some money with it takes a long time. I saw myself going through undergraduate school then graduate school and completing my phD then maybe just doing personal research (poor but more freedom) or doing lab work (rich). Now it's like...I can't do these things and I have to concentrate on planning for PO. I can of course continue studying but I'll be missing out on real human experience whilst trying to survive. The best figure I've derived so far and others have told me is around 15 years for total economic collapse. Of course that doesn't mean the world running out of oil in 15 years. Like a dehydrated person, the body need only lose 10% of water to die. Once the world reaches a certain point in oil production/supply and population, the economy will crumble. I don't even know how to start planning, I don't know what to do or anything. I don't know if I should tell my parents (my dad won't believe it, he'll just say this is something the liberals made up so they can bash Bush and the war), my mom would simply deny it. I don't know what to do about money (especially). I don't know what to do about really LONG term planning as in a few decades from now. I was never the normal teenager that didn't think much past the current month; I get uneasy when I don't know what's going to happen to me 15+ years from now. Nobody knows exactly how the world will react to peak oil socially and economically. I suspect people will deny it and deny it until they wake up one morning wondering why the lamp isn't working, why their heater won't turn on, why the phone is dead and why oil is $150/barrel. The politicians will say they're funding a huge rush to find more oil, the left will bash the right, the right will bash the left, people will be too busy fighting each other to see the real problem. There's going to be looters and rioting and protests in urban streets. There's going to be a lot of people dying because they don't know how to survive off the land. Complete and total chaos with the police and military force breaking down will be the worst case scenario.
po is only 1 of the things commin in the next 15 years ya wanna be prepared for plan on doing nothing for $ cause $ wont be worth the paper its printed on..instead learn to live simply, in harmony with nature..plan on collecting seeds anjd heading for the mountains plan on several years of hardship b4 people band together as people without government and getthe job done to survive dont ya worry..these are just changes we must go through we've been living an insane lifestyle far too long, the collapse is just what we need
Yes, I always wished the world needed some shaking up. But I hate to see it shaken up so harshly. Any book recommendations for surviving in the wild?
better then books..i'll pm u some info oh but books hmm theres alotta books on outdoor survival and edible plants by region and stuff but best bet is researchin sustainable farming techniques probbly
I'd get out of the cities for starters. They're more likely to be chaotic. Lots of peaceful small towns in this country if you can learn to deal with the low key atmosphere and lack of choices. Come to mine! The waters drinkable, people are friendly but leave you alone, housing isn't sky-high and we have a farmer's market in the summer! And we need more hippies dammit!
there a bit of Peak Oil discussion over in environment. the basic concept is that the world will hit a peak production and gradually fall off, logical in the sense that it is a nonrenewable resource. (ok, yeah sure we will be oil in a million or two years, but for the purposes of sustainging continuously, we are looking at the reality of needing different power sources. the question is when, and how long will production continue? Will some countries hold their reserves so they can make the last petro dollars? will we get smart and rethink our love affair with engines? Will we be forced to redesign our social systems?
Research your survival skills, learn as many as you can. Then you won't worry so much. Realize that PO means pretty much globally, and there's an awful lot of people in other countries besides ours working on figuring it out. Look for lots of alternatives coming soon "to a theater near you", and then decide which ones are for you and go for it. Ya got lots of time for planning and learning... Physisist? Work on some new alternative energy sources and applications.... Invent. Get rich and famous......
I have to say one thing: this is one hell of a fascinating time to be living in. I, for one, missed the 60s and 70s, which most of the youth on this site seem to mourn, but what a time this is! Anyhow, back on topic. I'd agree that getting out of the cities is the best first step (although I'm biased, having grown up in the woods and only recently moved to the city, which I loathe with every fibre of my being). It seems hard though. At my point in life, I'm not sure how to do it, as work's not easy to find outside of cities, and, though I work hard and learn fast (meaning farming wouldn't be a problem), I don't think you can settle anywhere, even in the country, without buying land... and I can hardly afford food and rent as it is. I reasearch edible plants and survival methods a fair bit and have survived in the wilderness by my own means when kicked out by my parents and hitching around the country, so I can struggle through hard times. I know that. SoaringEagle, if you'd be interested in sharing your advice either through PM or on the thread, I wouldn't mind reading what you have to say. Lots of good stuff on here. I can't say I'm very worried about Peak oil though... I've never relied on vehicles for transportation too much, though I can appreciate some of what it'll do to society in the near future... more interest in locally grown food, surely, people perhaps taking less overseas vacations and putting the effort and resources into improving their own communities? There are many possibilities. I can't wait to see what happens over the next few decades.
You shouldn't be worried about peak oil. It's not something you can change, and worrying won't help. You shouldn't even be that worried about getting a degree, let alone a PhD. You're only 15! Worry about getting laid or where to score your next hit.
