Right now, our entire civilization is dependent upon fossil fuels. I heard somewhere that one spoonful of gas has enough energy of one person doing manual labor for a day. If that's true, then talk about efficient!
It's this effeciency, and the use in fossil fuels in just about everything imaginable that has allowed us to produce more food then the land could yeild on it's own. When the fossil fuels start running out, food shortages will follow by way of less crop yeild, and harder to transport said goods. People will starve because they will be unable to get food because they're isnt enough, or they simply can't afford what is available.
The kick in the crotch to all of this, is that it seems nobody can imagine life any different then what it is now because oil use has become engrained in our society, to the point where some aspects of its use are considered tradition, or even part of our lifestyle. When it finally does run out, we're in for one hell of a rude awakening. Personally, i place the blame firmly on the greedy bastards who can't see past their own immediate market profits and refuse to change. They'll suck it for all its worth, and send our entire society crashing when its finally run out due to their short sightedness.
On a lighter note, the traditional Omish will have the last laugh on everyone. Our modern 20th century is but a small portion of humanities history. This modern world that we live in, won't last forever.
(edit: christ i sound like some crackpot doomsday prepper)
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