The potential dangers of a civilization based on consumption take a very concrete form when one considers the problem of peak oil. The consumer economy is utterly dependent on cheap energy in the form of petroleum. Oil production world-wide will reach its maximum sometime between now and 2010. Once production has peaked, the combination of declining production and rising demand for oil will produce an unavoidable increase in oil prices on a scale never seen before. Imagine how well our current form of civilization will work when gasoline costs $10 per gallon, or $20, or more. The prospect is for massive disruptions of all kinds, particularly economic. Practically everything we see around us will change in some way. But as yet this issue remains peripheral to the national debate.
Fellows at For the Future are pursuing innovative initiatives to inform the public about peak oil, including lectures, classes, op-ed articles, and community forums. For the Future is lobbying elected officials to bring the issue fo peak oil to the attention of leadership at every level of government. The “Initiative for Sustainable Small Cities” is a response to the problems posed by peak oil.
The potential dangers of a civilization based on consumption take a very concrete form when one considers the problem of peak oil. The consumer economy is utterly dependent on cheap energy in the form of petroleum. Oil production world-wide will reach its maximum sometime between now and 2010. Once production has peaked, the combination of declining production and rising demand for oil will produce an unavoidable increase in oil prices on a scale never seen before. Imagine how well our current form of civilization will work when gasoline costs $10 per gallon, or $20, or more. The prospect is for massive disruptions of all kinds, particularly economic. Practically everything we see around us will change in some way. But as yet this issue remains peripheral to the national debate.