“Without trucks Australia stops”

There should be an addition to the sign that says, “ without oil the trucks stop”.

“Take a sample of any 10 items within easy reach and you’ll realize that nearly everything you own is produced overseas.”

There is the reason for the terrible state of the world and the reason that it will all end in tears, quite soon.
If we did not have the transport system to support globalization, we would not have the demise of manufacturing in all but the third world countries, where the corporations could shift their factories to and use what is virtually slave labour to produce their products.
There usual excuse for paying a pittance to their overseas workers is “ well they are better off now with paying jobs”.
I wonder?
Have a look at the destruction of the environment in many of those countries.
There is a perfect storm approaching that will cause so much misery that the lower standard of living they had before globalization, will be looked back on with nostalgia.
Peak everything and especially peak oil will wreak havoc with the so-called level playing field.
The inevitable recession/depression as the price of oil escalates will bring a cold wind of change to all. It is to be hoped that this happens sooner rather than later, when all ability to continue with a local economy is not lost.
We are going to take a savage cut to our profligate life style that take us down to the third world and not bring them up to ours.

I think the government's likely response to Peak Oil is the wrong one, namely to reduce fuel taxes. Natural gas in compressed or liquid form will undoubtedly continue to replace diesel in trucks and buses. However if the carbon tax doesn't have too many giveaways it seems likely that new power stations will be gas fired, not coal. The simultaneous arrival of two new forms of demand for gas, transport and power, are certain to drive up the price. Dare I suggest new power stations should be nuclear? That will free up gas for transport.

A partial solution to rising food prices is to eat more local raw food and less store bought food. Thus potatoes could substitute for bread and pasta. Tasmanians would eat fewer bananas while Queenslanders would eat fewer cherries. However it's hard to see people willingly accept drastic cuts to diet and energy use. I think we've got a few more years of denial (eg building new airports) before people accept the reality of the energy situation

sarnian "There is the reason for the terrible state of the world and the reason that it will all end in tears, quite soon."

Care to put a number on that ?

When will it all end in tears?

Honestly there is so many disaster porn hysterics out there, all constantly disappointed, all in a rush to predict doom and are getting more and more angry that it just doesn't seem to happen.

Natural disasters have always been with us, a few man made ones occur here and there, that's life.

"There is a perfect storm approaching that will cause so much misery"

"Peak everything and especially peak oil will wreak havoc"

"The inevitable recession/depression as the price of oil escalates will bring a cold wind of change"

"We are going to take a savage cut to our profligate life style that take us down to the third world"

doom!

You wish!

Children, your life will be fine, work hard, be honest and look after your family and friends, try not to get caught up in religions or sects, they tend to confuse value systems with real life, try to avoid being caught up in the misery that makes people think there is no future. Avoid people who are unhappy or want you to be unhappy.

There will be a future, and you should look forward to it, it will be greater than our past.

Oh,oh! The eternal optimist Amicus has sought to shut down all conversation with a typical "You're nothing but a doomer" post.

I harped on the subject of energy depletion for long enough to know that there's no way of changing the mind of an eternal optimist. Like religious fanatics, they refuse to do the study, they refuse to look at the science.

I broached this very subject with a good and long term friend. She reacted much the same way. When I asked her why she wasn't prepared to do the maths and study the situation of energy depletion, she dismissed it out of hand. I then asked her why she remained so steadfastly optimistic and her reply was very interesting. She stated simply...... "because the alternative is just to terrifying to contemplate!" Is that where you're at Amicus? Is the reality to terrifying to contemplate?

And yes, I was once an optimist too, but then I began to read reports, do my homework and finally began to understand where we're heading with our wasteful use of energy and for a time, my world was tipped upside down. But eventually I came to realise that life can be so much sweeter with a return to a time when an I-Pad was only something hanging on Jet Jackson's wall.

depends on what you read aime, I read lots of stuff that makes me look forward to the future - if only silly pessimists would stop holding things up because this or that or something else might go wrong

at the end of the 19th century, it was similar to the way it is now, much doomsaying, electricity was bad and dangerous, the motor vehicle was evil etc etc but fortunately the doom sayers were not as well organized as they are today

I contemplate the future, and it looks good

I work in high tech and see stuff that is years out which looks good.

If the UN and a few other organisations which are completely political monsters would leave a lot of folks alone and stop trying to "govern" every aspect of life, people might be able to get on with progress.

The UN wants to be in charge, it's really really big government, and they are trying to get bigger .. that's a problem that I do see.

otherwise, I think folks worry too much, are scared silly by lobby groups and organizations who excel at fear and too many folks like you read all the negative stuff, and fill the pockets of fearmongers

you can bag me out for being positive, that's fine, I am an optimist, but not blindly - but I do see blind pessimism ..like Ho Hum, he prefers sites that tell him the world is ending .. sheesh!

Amicus,
I am not angry, just resigned to the inevitable and it is happening.
Just take a look at the oil price.
The most accurate at the moment is for Brent crude because the pipeline from Canada bolsters the WTI, producing a surplus in WT by having two supplies, one from the South & one from the North. $122.22 as I write. Getting perilously close to the catastrophic $147.00 of 2008
You might have also noticed the price of petrol? It is climbing steadily and will continue to do so. This will affect the price of food again.
If you want corroboration please take the time to look at the chart below:
http://prudentinvestor.blogspot.com/2011/01/chart-of-day-oil-prices-vs-food-prices.html

“Children, your life will be fine, work hard, be honest and look after your family and friends, try not to get caught up in religions or sects, they tend to confuse value systems with real life, try to avoid being caught up in the misery that makes people think there is no future”

I would think from the above quote that you are well into denial. If you have children, then you would do well to think of their future and face the facts.

“There will be a future, and you should look forward to it,” you say.

Only if you are prepared to accept a dismal future.

By the way : In 1900, China had 467 million people Europe - 325 million North/ Central & South America - 178 million Africa - 13.5 Australia and New Zealand - 0.5 million.
Hardly stressing the planet was it?