What is your attitude towards Peak Oil?

Adam Polczyk · Post by **Adam Polczyk** » 03 Jan 2009, 11:10

Of course everyone believes they are a realist but which of the following best describes your attitude towards Peak Oil?

My thank in advance to all who respond and comment...

Adam

Vortex · Post by **Vortex** » 03 Jan 2009, 12:05

I voted 'survivalist' although I hope for some sort of decent 'transition'.

I just feel that we will be hit by a crisis at in inopportune time ... closure of the oil lanes, war, flu, natural gas lines at Bacton being blown up, whatever ... which will trip us up.

Several weeks of electricity or gas cuts in the UK could trigger off all sorts of nastiness which might push us into a premature energy/social/economic descent.

DominicJ · Post by **DominicJ** » 03 Jan 2009, 15:12

I voted survivalist.
I dont think we're headed for 90% die off, certainly not here anyway, but the person with a wood/coal burner and some solar electricity will be better off than the person without.

In my opinion
Transistion towns are a nice idea, but I cant see them making themselves into anything but hippie communes or targets, if the Government deciedes Transition Town Windmillville has to give its electricity to the hospital in Normal Town Crackton, thats what will happen.

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 03 Jan 2009, 18:18

I voted Activist as the closest option, however I don't necessarily believe that we can avoid collapse, rather that collapse may be a necessary part of the transition.

MisterE · Post by **MisterE** » 03 Jan 2009, 18:33

I voted activist but technology and ingenuity will save us

Totally_Baffled · Post by **Totally_Baffled** » 03 Jan 2009, 21:21

Andy Hunt wrote:I voted Activist as the closest option, however I don't necessarily believe that we can avoid collapse, rather that collapse may be a necessary part of the transition.

Ditto.

Mind you there are so many definitions of "collapse" its untrue.

Some use "collapse" to describe total and utter destruction of man, where as others use it to describe the present economic calamity thus far.

So many shades of grey...

FWIW I see somesort of semi command, semi industrialised economy with unrecognisable standards of living compared to today.

Die off in the UK will take the form of cold winters and no heating killing off more of the significant elderly population, higher infant mortality (as medicines, treatments become less available), lower life expectancy due to less availability of medical treatment(one in three get cancer, imagine if expensive chemo isnt available!

) family sizes shrinking similiar to eastern europe and immigration collapsing due to no work.

Welfare state/pensions will be replaced by coupons which will barely sustain someone (support will have to come via family and whatever you can do on the side).

Everyone works until they drop if the work is available. What work there is will be badly paid and the benefits will suck (35 seconds annual paid holiday being the norm for example)

Fantastic

PaulS · Post by **PaulS** » 04 Jan 2009, 13:43

Interesting, I voted for collapse, but I still work in the Transition movement. Mainly to improve the chance of our village and region.

Eternal Sunshine · Post by **Eternal Sunshine** » 04 Jan 2009, 16:37

I alternate between survivalist and activist, depending on how I'm feeling that day. Today I'm feeling survivalist, so that's what I voted for.

landyowner · Post by **landyowner** » 04 Jan 2009, 18:11

I alternate between the bottom three, some days I think maybe me or my family can pull through this if we do something. Other days I'm more hopeful that as a community we can pull through and transition to something better, then other days I will have a foreboding feeling that everything will collapse with no one really knowing what to do.

Erik · Post by **Erik** » 04 Jan 2009, 22:01

landyowner wrote:I alternate between the bottom three, some days I think maybe me or my family can pull through this if we do something. Other days I'm more hopeful that as a community we can pull through and transition to something better, then other days I will have a foreboding feeling that everything will collapse with no one really knowing what to do.

Ditto. I'm up and down and all over the place with this. Lately I've been feeling a bit defeatist though, so that's how I voted. I just feel a bit fed up and overwhelmed with the whole PO thing. I don't want to think about it much lately, I just want to chill out and enjoy myself a bit more with my family and friends, rather than spend so much time thinking and worrying about how little I have been able to make any sort of meaningful preparations related to PO. It's a January thing. I'll get over it

RevdTess · Post by **RevdTess** » 04 Jan 2009, 22:54

I also alternate between survivalist and activist. Today, survivalist got my vote.

snow hope · Post by **snow hope** » 04 Jan 2009, 23:20

I also am a mixture of survivalist and activist. I don't believe in any kind of reliance on the Govt. or that I should be reliant on others, so I am preparing as best I can to survive the negative consequences as they arise.

Although I have done some things, I feel pitifully unprepared compared to some of you. But hey, I am more prepared than many. Today I went out and spent an hour gathering a full trailer-full of pine tree trunks. This is wood for next winter that I am now collecting. Probably three weeks of burning in that lot.

Over the Xmas period I have collected 2 full trailers of pine wood and two full trailers of pallets - at least 2 full months of free heating in the main part of my house. I must admit this makes me feel good and I even enjoy cutting it all up manually.

SILVERHARP2 · Post by **SILVERHARP2** » 05 Jan 2009, 10:31

I'm in the camp now that its a problem that "may" have been deferred for a decade or more, I'll revert to doomer mode when supply falls faster then demand

DominicJ · Post by **DominicJ** » 05 Jan 2009, 11:28

Surely thats a decade to prepare though?
The problem hasnt gone away.
If it really has gone a decade away, then that just means when the problems hit, we'll be better prepared.

PS_RalphW · Post by **PS_RalphW** » 05 Jan 2009, 12:06

I think, for Europe at least, and the UK in particular, oil will be a less immediate problem than natural gas.

But for the UK I think hyperinflation is looking more and more likely, and as we have a national energy production descent curve that looks like a ski-jump, we are in deep, deep trouble.

If Europe and Russia continue to have a colder than (recent) average winter, the UK could see our very modest winter storage run short by the end of February. That means the spot price would explode (for us) at that time. We would see some interruptable supply contracts interrupted.

http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/4699

This morning I'm seeing deep economic collapse and social unrest by about 2012...

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What is your attitude towards Peak Oil?

Which of the following best describes your attitude towards Peak Oil?

What is your attitude towards Peak Oil?