Fatlo.af

Greetings, people. First time writer, long time reader. In the humbling footsteps of the internationally known Kizza and Grum, I�d like to present a rant, regardless of whether you want to hear it, because I wasn�t asking.

Before I begin, I�d like to say that I�ve never considered myself to be a tree-hugger (and I still don�t), but the line between the tree hugger and the concerned, informed citizen is becoming increasingly blurred. I was fortunate enough to view an exceedingly illuminating documentary recently, one that goes by the title of A Crude Awakening (thank you PJ), the documentary presents the concept of Peak Oil, a theory which is gaining increasing credibility as a looming global crisis of substantial proportions. Now before you apply the �fringe dwelling bearded nutcase� label to my oversized head, it should be mentioned that the people making the biggest effort to inform the public of this issue include ex-national oil ministers of OPEC countries, ex-CEOs of international oil companies and ex-financial advisors of large western governments; people who should know what they�re talking about.

The problem that these people are trying to make public is that world oil production is/has hit a peak (exactly when depends on who you listen to), this might seem like a non-consequential issue until you realize what an oil peak precedes: an end to the cheap, abundant oil on which western society has built itself. What does the end of cheap, abundant oil suggest? The start of expensive, scarce oil, and the decline of the society that we live in.

This change in energy availability/cost will directly affect: all motorized transport (air travel, railways and commercial and personal transport), agriculture (a lack of petrochemical based pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers), electricity generation (this �peaking� issue also includes natural gas, of which there is a greater shortage) and all modern consumer goods (obvious examples include all petrochemical derived plastics/compounds, etc). It will also directly affect the stability of all governments and countries (developed or not), as military conflict over this increasingly scarce resource increases (a tip of the hat to Iraq).

Is this scenario avoidable? No, because there is currently no viable substitute for the colossal amount of energy that the global economy gets from fossil fuels. Nuclear power (fission burning Uranium) could only sustain society�s needs for a few decades at best, and only if something in the order of 10,000 large nuclear plants were to be built. Wind power is problematic in its intermittency, maintenance and again, its large scale implementation and overall net energy production. Biomass has issues with net energy production and also with the use of land itself: how much already scarce (food-growing) land will be sacrificed to generate bio diesel or ethanol? Hydrogen is another net energy loser, and also enjoys substantial problems with mass generation, storage, implementation and other infrastructure, not to mention that no one is mass building hydrogen cars/trucks etc. Solar energy stands as the only energy source that is large enough, if sufficiently harnessed, to satisfy modern power needs, but solar power is nowhere near being viable financially or in terms of net energy production (i.e. it takes a very long time to get a return on the energy used to make the panels), not to mention the immense scale on it would have to be implemented in a very short time. It�s inefficiency, and the shortage of the rare materials needed to make the panels themselves. There is, however, a whole lot of coal left, but the choice will need to be made between electricity generation and the further (excessive) poisoning of the atmosphere � but I still don�t know of any cars that run on coal.

So where does that eventually leave us all? In a very awkward position, because there is an underlying assumption in wealthy developed countries such as ours that this lifestyle we currently enjoy is how life is, and that is how it will continue. There will have to be massive changes in attitude and action for those who will be forced to deal with the transition. In a best case scenario, it will be an uncomfortable, but gradual change to a much, much more localised economy, with people growing as much of their own food as they can, storing rainwater and trading directly with each other for daily necessities. In a worst case scenario, society collapses entirely, governments declare martial law (very likely) or dissolve completely, with constant violent confrontation between those who are trying to protect their land/food/water and those who are desperate enough to do anything to survive, a particularly bad place to be given the current (and coming) water shortages.

Who will be the least affected? Those living in rural areas of undeveloped countries who use very little oil now (remote China, Africa, India etc), who still live in a very similar fashion to their ancestors of the past millennia.

What can you do to soften the inevitable blow? Anything from fluorescent light bulbs and rainwater tanks to hoarding survival equipment � it depends on your level of optimism and how seriously you take the situation. There are many, many resources on the net that you can utilize, just Google it.

What am I going to do? Not telling�until the time comes. Bring on (real) Anarchy. For a much better presented, more succinct and comprehensive explanation of the situation, go here.

Some other quick comments and opinions to be aired:
* Fuck George Bush Jr (â��The worst president in US historyâ�� aka “The Retard King”), his mates and his old man (â��The American way of life is non-negotiableâ�� – weâ��ll see, you arrogant wanker).
* Fuck US Imperialism and the shitstorm that always follows it.
* Fuck Corporate globalism and Capitalism: the unsustainable exploitation of the poor for the benefit of the rich.
* Fuck Consumerism: â��Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need.â�� Tyler Durden, Fight Club.
* Fuck every mindless idiot who finds their identity in the things they own: �What kind of dining set defines me as a person?� The Narrator, Fight Club. Also include everyone who thinks their car is �awesome�.
* Fuck the �War on Terror�: scaring people into the forfeiture of their human and state-given rights.
* Fuck the �War on Drugs�: amongst other misguided ideals, a global attempt to eradicate what might be the most useful plant in human history: Cannabis
* Fuck religious extremists of any persuasion: a loud minority giving the quiet majority a bad name.
* Fuck current affairs programs on free to air TV: �news� for the mindless� it makes my brain want to dry retch.
* Fuck Paris Hilton and all celebrity gossip: is there anything more inherently frivolous? Fuck the idea of �celebrity� entirely.
* Fuck molten golf balls and their painful trajectories.

I expect that some of you that know me might suspect traces of hypocrisy regarding some of these comments, so I�ll be happy to clarify my position for you when the time comes.

That will do for now.

Bill

Thanks to the Great Overlord, Mr Smith, for the profanity he has inserted in this article (at my specific request).

Scott: Not a problem Bill, it’s a pleasure to be able to give you an area for you to vent. Maybe next time you can go into something else a little more upbeat, like something about kittens, clouds and boiled lollies. Just a suggestion.

Tags: Beardo, Peak Oil, Tree Hugger, War