Peak Oil is You
Donate Bitcoins ;-) or Paypal :-)
Page added on August 28, 2018
wondering what will happen when the world’s resources become scarce
The inevitable wave of refugees and the resulting backlash from communities in resource rich countries is likely to eclipse current anti-immigration sentiment and will accentuate the current trend of electing right-wing governments who promise to defend our borders against the unwanted at all cost.
The production of oil, a finite resource, will inevitably decline with alternative sources of energy unable to fulfill an ever-increasing demand of an increasing, energy hungry global population.
Even if renewable energy was able to replace gossip fuels it wouldn’t be able to do so for long. This is because of the scarcity of rare metals used in the production of renewable technologies. In the dystopian future of WHEN THE WORLD RUNS DRY there is very little in the way of renewable technologies because of the inability to find the materials to build or repair these technologies.
Lack of freshwater could soon lead to conflicts between or within nations and there are already those who view the Syrian conflict as an example of a conflict fueled by water shortage.
Earth has lost a third of its arable land over the last 40 years and the need to feed increasing populations will excert increasing pressure on countries needing more arable land than they currently possess. For many years there have been fears of Chinese land grabs, most notably in Africa. The most recent Chinese land grab scare has been in France.
The important thing to remember is that absolute scarcity does not need to be on the horizon, a simple disruption of supply is enough to cause conflict. In the recent truck drivers strike in Brazil, day one saw queues at petrol stations and within 24 hours people were cyphoning fuel out of each other’s tanks. Society is covered in only a very thin film of civility.
Mass extinction is likely to result in shortages of certain foods and as demand exceeds supply, societies will experience shortages of a range of products.
The International Energy Agency claims that the demand for oil in 2035 can only be met by supplies yet to be ‘found’ or ‘developed’. However, other analysts feel this target will never be reached as a result of environmental opposition, corruption and conflicts, leaving the world with a shortage of supply.
In his book Constant Battles, Steven LeBlanc, director of collections for Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, notes that many ancient civilizations experienced higher levels of warfare when faced with resource shortages brought about by population growth, crop failures or persistent drought. Jared Diamond, author of the bestseller Collapse, has detected a similar pattern in Mayan civilization and the Anasazi culture of New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon. More recently, concern over adequate food for the home population was a significant factor in Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and Germany’s invasions of Poland in 1939 and the Soviet Union in 1941, according to Lizzie Collingham, author of The Taste of War.
My own book, When The Well Runs Dry, looks at what life in a resource scarce society might look like and what challenges the occupants might face. I would be interested to hear your opinions and have set up a Facebook Group to discuss the possibilities explored in the book. I hope to see you there.
10 Comments on "wondering what will happen when the world’s resources become scarce"
rockman on Tue, 28th Aug 2018 10:07 am
“The global scarcity of vital resources combined with the emerging effects of climate change has the potential to unleash a tidal wave of civil unrest and conflict between nations.”
“…has the potential…”. You’re a little late to the party, Jack. LOL. Wars have been fought with lack of resources as the root cause for hundreds of years. If not thousands. They are being waged today in multiple regions for the same reason.
JuanP on Tue, 28th Aug 2018 1:32 pm
What Rockman said!
Anonymouse1 on Tue, 28th Aug 2018 3:04 pm
And the narrativemans patrons and saints(to him anyhow) in the uS oil cartel, have precipitated many of the worlds past, current, and yes, future resource wars. His masters, destroyed Libya, Iraq, and are trying hard to do the same to Syria and Venezuela. What else are ‘they’ planning. Who knows, but when it happens, armies of narrativemen will spring into action to try to whitewash it all away. Like they always do….
The narrativeman, like all oily shills, uses deflection when it suits him. You see, resource wars have been a feature for ‘thousands of years’. A not-untruthful statement. However, the narrativeman has no problem at all with uS, and particularly uS OIL cartel sponsored resources wars.
You see , fighting over resources is the normal state of affairs, so, dont pay any much attention to uS attempts to steal and deny others control of their own resources. Besides, narrativemans better healed , and like-minded fellow travelers in washingdum and jew York city, have brigades of people and orgs, working tirelessly to re-brand these uS instigated conflicts, as ‘humanitarian interventions’.
Sissyfuss on Tue, 28th Aug 2018 4:29 pm
” Mass Extinction is likely to result in a shortage of certain foods.”
Dude, Mass Extinction means we’ll lose all the mammals. Think about that for a sec.
energy investor on Tue, 28th Aug 2018 5:52 pm
Sissyfuss,
Humans and our livestock arguably comprise more than 98% of all land mammals.
Like all living organisms, Liebig’s law will be what causes mayhem for us. Which shortage will it be that causes our demise?
arable land? water? oil? clean air? fish? What about the next ice age? a meteor strike? A CME? nuclear war?
We will be spoiled for choice.
makati1 on Tue, 28th Aug 2018 8:34 pm
One BILLION beef cattle are grown for human consumption every year. A massive waste of grains and water. These need to go first. The resulting savings in grains and water would easily support a billion, or more, humans. And the Indians should start to eat the cattle they let roam all over India in the name of “religion”.
Goat2055 on Wed, 29th Aug 2018 10:03 am
I agree the beef cattle need to go. However, most of the cattle in India (cows and buffalo) are either for dairy production or used as work animals.
JuanP on Wed, 29th Aug 2018 10:13 am
Energy investor “Humans and our livestock arguably comprise more than 98% of all land mammals.”
When measured by mass, not individuals, an important distinction.
Davy on Wed, 29th Aug 2018 10:23 am
There is no reason for beef cattle go. Much of
The world is only suitable for grazing. What should go is the feeding of grain to beef cattle. IOW, industrial cattle business should go. Cattle are extremely important to proper pasture management. They are a significant source of fertilization when applied properly. A farm that follows the nutrient cycle should have cattle as a part of that system.
DerHundistLos on Wed, 29th Aug 2018 8:35 pm
Beef production is the #1 cause of worldwide deforestation. Cattle are frequently introduced to non-native environments that results in the degradation of soil and land resources. Cattle are the primary vector for the spread of prion disease.