how close are humans to a world-wide power outage?

by doogie 23 Replies latest jw friends

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  doogie

  WARNING-POTENTIAL DEPRESSION AHEAD!
  

  this is without a doubt, the most depressing article i've ever read. yeah, i make a great saleman, huh? this is an article from Rolling Stone called The Long Emergency and it's about what may happen to human society as the oil runs out. jesus... i've never seen it described in quite such apocalyptic terms...i feel going and slashing my wrists now. it's pretty interesting (even if it is complete speculation. think 'MadMax with a rake and overalls'...)

  http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/7203633?&has-player=true&version=6.0.11.847
• 

  doogie

  it's kind of long. i was going to cut and paste bits and pieces but i couldn't figure out which parts to omit. it's worth the time to just read the whole thing.
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  lilbit

  yup thats scary. I also heard the other day there is a theory in the scientific (sp?) community that magnetic north and south are going to reverse plunging all electronics into the dark ages. Damn no gas no puters looks like Im goin camping
• 

  Elsewhere

  I have thought about these issues for awhile and all I can conclude is that humans will adapt.

  It is true that:

  • Solar energy can only generate a fraction of what we need
  • Bio-fuel can only generate a fraction of what we need
  • Wind energy can only generate a fraction of what we need
  • Wave / Ocean energy can only generate a fraction of what we need
  • Nuclear energy can only generate a fraction of what we need
  • Fuel Cells can only generate a fraction of what we need
  • Hydro Electric dams can only generate a fraction of what we need
  • etc...

  BUT, if you put them all together you end up with quite a bit of energy! Not only that, the energy sources are independent of each other which means that the possibility of an energy crisis is far less likely when compared to our one main source of energy, oil. Basically this means that using diverse energy production will result in far more stable production... if one system fails for awhile the others will be able to compensate and we will not be hit with such a hard impact.

  YES... the cost of energy will go up! The days of cheap energy will go the way of the Dodo... but humans will adapt and we will develop more efficient ways of using the more expensive energy. As an example there are the new hybrid SUVs. Standard SUVs get about 19 MPG whereas the hybrids get about 35 MPG... that is a 54% increase in efficiency while the cost of fuel has actually stayed about the same, when adjusted for inflation. (http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/pol_sci/fac/sahr/gasol.htm) That is right... the amount of "sting" one experiences when filling up a tank of gas is the same as one experienced when people paid $0.25 per gallon in 1950.
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  Elsewhere

  also heard the other day there is a theory in the scientific (sp?) community that magnetic north and south are going to reverse plunging all electronics into the dark ages

  This switch has happened many times over billions of years. It takes hundreds, if not thousands of years to happen. Basically the North and South magnetic poles will gradually weaken until there is almost nothing left and then the Magnetic South and North poles will switch and begin to strengthen.

  Trust me, we have nothing to worry about. This process has been going on since humans were able to accurately measure the earths magnetic field (over 100 years ago) and it has had no effect on electronics or navigation. The bottom line is that our technology does not depend very much on magnetic north and the reason for this is because it is constantly changing in strength and even changing position (right now it is in Canada, not the North Pole with Santa)
• 

  Golf

  The only outage we have is, 'People Power.' Where is it? The elite rich (international bankers) have everything under their control.
  
  "The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has own the government of the U.S. since the days of Andrew Jackson." Franklin D. Roosevelt
  
  "History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maiuntain their control over governments by controlling money and its issuance." James Garfield
  
  
  Golf
• 

  franklin J

  ...what a great opportunity to develope solar power....or refine coal driven power....and get those candles ready!
• 

  Amazing1914

  This conspiracy theory nonsense is getting silly.

  The Peoples Republic of China is starting to place considerable demand on fossil fuel, thus driving up the price. That is, the demand is exceeding current production capabilities. This in turn will drive the oil rich countries to install more pumps to meet that demand. Then, prices will stabilize or fall.

  IN the meantime, we need to remember that in Saudi Arabia alone there is enough oil in their "untapped" fields to supply the world for the next 900 years as current levels of increased demand. Then, when you add in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Russia, UAE, etc. etc. there is an abundance of oil for a long time to come. The problem is not the supply of oil, but the logistics of getting it to market fast enough.

  Also in the meantime, the USA is moving quickly to use wind power, solar power, co-gen (clean burning of trash), and the all-promising hydrogen car. The Japanese built a working model many years ago. So, the issue is to make the hydrogen car available to the market ... which means developing a regular and widely available hydrogen fuel supply.

  In any event, whether more oil gets pumped, or we develop better technologies ... I am not going to hold my breath in fear of doom and gloom ... unless I were to become a nutcase JW once again.

  Jim W.
• 

  doogie

  all I can conclude is that humans will adapt

  that's what i think too. it's bound to happen...they aren't making any more fossil fuel. even if we have to adapt to a more agricultural based economy for awhile (or permanently). it'll be a painful process. hopefully i'll be dead by the time things really go down the tubes (let my kids worry about it. it's the american way!)

  In any event, whether more oil gets pumped, or we develop better technologies ... I am not going to hold my breath in fear of doom and gloom ...

  nah, me neither. and i'm about as far from a 'conspiracy theorist' as you can get. i read this the same way that i read The Stand. even if this is what the future looks like, i'm just gonna pop some popcorn (over an open fire, i guess) and watch the fireworks.
• 

  Satanus

  It's apocalypticism in a new wrapper. People are easy targets for it, it seems. Not to mention that the oil companies like it. More oil is being found every day. The huge oil reserves under the african continent is basically untouched, so far.

  S