http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/

Basically this individual states that the world "we know" will end when our fossil-fuel hydrocarbon demand outstrips the supply in the next 20 years. He goes on to say that we will march into this situation completely unaware of the ramifications and ill prepared to deal with it, I.E. too little, too late.

I've grown conditioned to automatically distrusting and usually discounting such "doomsday" prophecies but this one in my mind holds a small amount of credence. Eventually, we will run out of hydrocarbon fuels and essentially (barring nuclear sources) the "free" energy on this planet will be gone. Even if we don't run out of oil supply in the next two decades, it will happen and indicators suggest within most of our lifetimes.

What ramifications do you think this will have on industry?

I believe, undoubtedly, that market forces will begin a transition to alternative fuel source vehicles in anticipation for making bank when the fossil hydrocarbon shortage finally happens. As he aptly pointed out however, we don't exactly have another cheap source of energy that proves so portable.

Will the western world be at a loss of luxury or will the cost of alternative energy become a unifying force in industry? (I.E., nobody will get energy cheaply, so it becomes a coefficient for all industries). I believe we will see a large influx of human labor again in many industries and fission energy will become our primary source of energy. Mass transportation will become the primary mode of travel from point a to point b. Beyond this I have no answers...

If we happen to unlock the secret of sustainable (energy surplus) fusion in the near future I can envision energy only getting cheaper in the future (as the technology is perfected). This seems beyond our scientific grasp at the moment however.

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quote:

Venus: And there are troops of savage giraffes whose necks are on fire, like the starry ejaculations of fireworks in the very pale sky of childhood ... Venus: Enter, enter here - men of all kinds and races, victims of reality! You who have the thirst for dreams. ... Venus: You, on life's bitter road, drenched in hard sunlight who have the thirst that once more the dark marvel of dreams...