If a real gas shortage were to happen tomorrow ...

Ah, ok, I see what you mean.

You're right, it does boil down to what we agree on, which is the diversification of energy sources, so...glad to agree with you!

Whether or not we are beyond "Peak Oil," whatever that means, it is no longer possible for rational people to deny that the burning of oil-based fuels is heating up our planet at an unsustainable rate. If we keep on keeping on with our coal and oil, we'll run out of life-sustaining atmosphere long before we runout of oil -- problem solved!

silence wrote:

At least there are other options, alt. fuels, wind power, etc. What happens when the world runs out of water? There is no alternate water, no other options to renew it. There is a very limited supply, think about how you are using it.

Man that's retarded. You should be hit for writing that. Running out of water, what is it gonna quit raining and snowing? I'm going to go water my lawn in your name.

I could get around fine on my bike. The larger issue would be if there would still be a job for me to go to and get paid. I don't possess any of the skills of a craftsman so I might not have much value in a world without economic growth as we know it now.

Victor Conte wrote:

Man that's retarded. You should be hit for writing that. Running out of water, what is it gonna quit raining and snowing?

In some parts of the world, yes, it has stopped raining (or at least greatly reduced the amount that does fall).

Other parts get too much rain, flooding agricultural land and washing away prime growing soil.

Then there's the issue of the quality of that rain in the first place. Pump enough fancy chemicals into the ecosystem and you aren't going to be getting clean and tasty pure water coming from the clouds.

Have a read through Jared Diamond's 'Collapse', the follow-on to the Pulitzer Prize winning 'Guns, Germs and Steel'.

Asterix wrote:

In some parts of the world, yes, it has stopped raining (or at least greatly reduced the amount that does fall).

Other parts get too much rain, flooding agricultural land and washing away prime growing soil.

Then there's the issue of the quality of that rain in the first place. Pump enough fancy chemicals into the ecosystem and you aren't going to be getting clean and tasty pure water coming from the clouds.

Have a read through Jared Diamond's 'Collapse', the follow-on to the Pulitzer Prize winning 'Guns, Germs and Steel'.

I've never even heard of those books. Let me guess, the overall theme goes something like, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

Chicken Little wrote:

I've never even heard of those books. Let me guess, the overall theme goes something like, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

Obviously not everyone is aware of current publishing or major issues in the world.

'Guns, Germs and Steel' is a Pulitzer Prize winning book (google 'Pulitzer Prize' to find out what this means). It actually ranks 181 on Amazon's Sales Rank:

It is NOT a Chicken Little book but rather looks at the conditions necessary and causes for civilizations to spring up and develop.

'Collapse' is the book I'm trying to point you towards with respect to this thread:

While there is the negativity of looking at the causes and triggers for various civilizations to collapse (Greenland Norse, Easter Islanders, Central American societies) and how many of those signs are starting to show in our current world (using Montana's Bitterroot Valley as a case study), the does conclude with a positive outlook for what we can do now to avoid bad outcomes.

Must be a real interesting life you lead if that kind of reading gets you off. Man seriously, don't you think this crap is overrated? The world has been taking care of itself for many years without our help. I'm sure it can fare quite well without our help. Just enjoy life!

I'd walk a mile for a Camel.

Chevy Chase wrote:

I'd walk a mile for a Camel.

Smoking is bad for you :(

Al Gore Made Up Global Warming wrote:

Must be a real interesting life you lead if that kind of reading gets you off. Man seriously, don't you think this crap is overrated? The world has been taking care of itself for many years without our help. I'm sure it can fare quite well without our help. Just enjoy life!

Thanks for your evaluation of my quality of life.

What 'crap' is it that you think is overrated? Since you haven't bother to read the books I mentioned, how can you make any kind of statement as to what 'crap' is in them or whether that 'crap' is overrated? What qualifications do you bring that enable you to say any 'crap' is over or underrated (beyond the 'crap' you left before your run)?

I'm willing to bet you aren't thinking of the same things the books talk about.

A year ago you doom and gloomers were predicting gas prices to hit $5/gallon. Well look here, they're actually falling and quite rapidly at that.

Go ride your bike and pretend you're making a difference. Just stay off the road. It ain't wide enough for your bike and my big Ford Excursion.

Chevy Chase wrote:

I'd walk a mile for a Camel.

That's funny to me because one night years ago when I was drunk, I walked two miles for a camel toe. That's still one of my fondest memories.

Chicken Little wrote:

A year ago you doom and gloomers were predicting gas prices to hit $5/gallon. Well look here, they're actually falling and quite rapidly at that.

Please read what I have actually written if you are going to go and label me as a 'doom and gloomer'.

For that matter, how about reading the books instead of ASSUMING they are doom and gloom. Do you realize how silly it makes you look when you post like that without knowing what you are talking about?

gas will be going back up soon, just heard it on NPR.

looks like we are pretty dam near one.

everyone CELEBRATE!!!

I'd better invest in ExxonMobil stock now.

Al Gore Made Up Global Warming wrote:

Must be a real interesting life you lead if that kind of reading gets you off. Man seriously, don't you think this crap is overrated? The world has been taking care of itself for many years without our help. I'm sure it can fare quite well without our help. Just enjoy life!

I have no doubts that the world will take care of itself. We do not have the capacity to destroy the world. We do, however, have the capacity to make life very unpleasant for our (and other earthly) species. I think that the main point the authors of the "crap" you speak of are trying to make is not that we are doomed, but that by not planning and acting for future circumstances, we could encounter so very trying conditions.

I don't understand why you all think that wind won't work, if the tallest sky scrapers in the major cities had wind mills erected on top of their buildings and even into the sides of their buildings in some places then they could generate power to keep their lights and computers on all day.

also someone earlier mentioned our 40,000 miles of highway, if we take windmills and put them along the median of our highways we can generate a great deal of electricity and the line it into near by cities, it seems to me that we could power much of the eastern seaboard through placing windmills along the median and shoulders of I-95