[johnmarkos]

It might be fun to collect implausible Peak Oil "solution" scenarios here. It could be an addendum to the FAQ. That way, if a newbie brings up such a topic, just point 'em to this thread! Here's one to start with: in the depths of Peak Oil, some researcher builds a sentient computer. The Singularity occurs. Our techno-overlords figure out the solution, allowing us all to acheive cyborg-immortality.

Basically, it's the, "Aliens come down and rescue us," scenario updated for the 21st century.

[PenultimateMan]

Allright, Johnmarkos I'll take this one. Since I would prefer just about anything to "THE CANNIBALS ARE COMING!": Implausible Scenario #1: Peak Oil doesn't arrive until after,say, 2015. In the meantime, since the word got out in time, we have cars made of carbon fibers 10 times stronger than steel that weigh 250 pounds tops. All our infrastructure, wind energy, farm machinery, factories, fast breeder nuclear reactors producing recyclable plutonium for abundant energy lasting hundreds of thousands of years, are made of these carbon fibers. The raw material turns out to be CO2 in the atmosphere which we begin using rapidly thus forestalling any adverse effects of the old fossil fuel era. Pretty nice, huh?
Oh and I forgot to mention, somehow the population growth stops and even begins to go down. Which brings me to Implausible Scenario #2:
The Big War happens. Its horrible but somehow a victor emerges to pick up the pieces and preserve the momentum of modern science and technology. The world's population is, say, one tenth of what it is now.
Only a few regions of Earth are permanently Off Limits. This means that resources will last ten times longer, thus enabling the survivors to bring about the Good Things of Scenario #1.

[johnmarkos]

We figure out how to exploit undersea methane hydrates. A massive greenhouse gas release causes fast global warming . . . that turns Siberia and Canada into the world's breadbaskets. Crop yields rise worldwide without fossil fuel based fertilizers. Because of a worldwide decrease in male fertility caused by environmental estrogen mimics, the population declines without famine, disease, or global war.

[johnmarkos]

We build a "Dyson sphere" with a superthin shell made of carbon nanofibers.

[lowem]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('johnmarkos', 'W')e build a "Dyson sphere" with a superthin shell made of carbon nanofibers.

[PenultimateManStanding]

Seriously, though, if the US spearheaded a worldwide turn to carbon fiber technology then maybe we could get out of this financial mess we're in. We'd be rolling in money (the real kind), could buy back all our IOUs, become a lender nation again like before our oil peaked here in 1970. We could knock off the narcomoney laundering, throw a few Citibank honchos in jail. Use our miltary prowess to protect victim populations such as in Sudan. Everyone would love us again. Hollywood would start putting out cheerful stuff. Jimmy Stewart would be reincarnated along with Kate Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Buddy Holly and Flamingos CD sales go through the roof. But then I realized, yes, I was only dreaming.

[lowem]

Or (B5) a friendly alien race arrives, teaches us how to use and construct jump-gates, and gives us the stars (but witholds certain technologies, like gravity control).

UFO nuts go wild, and begin to construct a catalog matching the saucers and various shapes of known sightings to the alien races we now begin to encounter ...

[PenultimateManStanding]

This thread seems to have died pretty quick johnmarkos. Could it be that no one has any hope left? Any venture capitalists out there? Finance this carbon nanotube fibers phenom or your money won't be worth jack squat.

[Specop_007]

Ever see Mars Attacks?
Yeah......

[Whitecrab]

Oh those tricky oil companies...

Yep, it turns out they had the solution right up their sleeves all along! No, no need to ask what it could possibly be, or concern yourselves with pesky things like scaleability and thermodynamics. The oil companies have it all figured out. Because they're greedy.

Did you hear who J-Lo is with today?

[0mar]

The day oil peaks, an angel appears, throws a stone, like a giant millstone, into the sea and a 1/3rd of the world perishes.

[Marco]

Here's mine.

For all those years the boffins in the military industrial complex have been beavering away with all that blackbudget money.

Next thing you know a flying saucer lands on the White House lawn, and out steps Don Rumsfeld- does his little manic clown caper- and says 'hey guys, look what I found'.

Sooo, it turns out that the earth is saved by all that secret government research based on a deal with aliens form Planet Zorg.Overnight we have anti-gravity and zero-point energy. OUR LIVES ARE SAVED. Thank god for US secret government agencies.

In the spirit of the Age of Aquarius- all national governments are dissolved and everyone lives in affluent equality in beachside communes.

Oh, where is HG Wells when you need him?


PS It turns out that Mike Ruppert was career CIA. His whole FTW site was designed to scam the masses into believeing in PO- just so the US could look great when they save the world.

regards marco

[ZPF4TF]

And I thought Mike Ruppert was the good guy! I want my subscription money back! hehe.

Donald Rumsfeld certainly does look like he is wearing the mask of death...those beady eyes behind those spectatcles...

[PenultimateManStanding]

Thet're using napalm