Peak Oil - how prepared are you?

[PaulX]

I think most people have heard the term "Peak Oil" and have some idea what it means. If you don't, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil will bring you up to speed.

The current oil prices crisis doesn't necessarily mean peak oil is already here - the present situation is a classic speculation 'bubble', made worse by the collapsing dollar and the fact that oil is priced in dollars. There are also one or two flaws in peak oil theory. For a start, new oil discoveries have not been following a Gaussian distribution (i.e. a 'bell curve') so that aspect of it is bollocks.

But... seeing as a lot of people believe peak oil has either already happened, or is just around the corner, I'm curious to know if anybody's prepared for it?

I'm hedging my bets slightly by making a few small changes on the assumption that oil will keep spiralling up in price. I've bought a bicycle (mainly to help lose a bit of weight but also to become less car-dependent in an area with very poor public transport). I've been experimenting with biodiesel (although the price of veg oil has shot up too lately), I've started growing some of my own vegetables and would even start growing rapeseed for the oil if things really go tits-up. I will also start looking at powering some things off solar panels.

What are other people doing?

[PaulX]

I guess that's a big Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz then.

[Calla]

I currently use no oil

[PaulX]

I currently use no oil

But you do use public transport, use electricity, buy food and other stuff. The price of oil affects all these things (everything in the shops is brought there on lorries) and therefore it does affect you, even though you haven't felt the direct effects yet. All of these things will start going up in price massively and there are all the knock-on effects on the economy.

Some of the people who are really into the peak oil theory think it will lead to the complete break-up of society as we know it. Mind you, a good number of those are 'survivalist' types, the sort who built their own nuclear fallout shelters a couple of decades ago.

[Calla]

well then theres not much i can do to prepare for it

[tavdy79]

I know I use relatively little oil - pretty much all the oil I use goes on transporting food to my local shop.

The costs of avoiding oil is the real problem IMO - many people, particularly those on lower incomes, can't afford to avoid using oil because the alternatives are too expensive. Thanks to some recent bill increases, plus my employer not increasing pay this year, I'm currently living off my savings. At Sunrise I'll be bringing all my food with me since buying food on site isn't an option. Right now I need to find ways to save money, not spend more, and locally produced food is more expensive.

Local food is also often inaccessible unless you have a car - there is a farmer's market in Bedford, but it's on for just one Thursday a month. Even if I was able to go (I'm at work when it's on) the fruit & veg wouldn't last more than a week to ten days. That leaves three weeks when I'd have no choice but to use my local shop.

[Efflux]

Given that my car is fucked, and I can't afford the insurance which is due in a few months. I'm not gonna be driving anymore, and need to get my bike fixed. Public transport is gonna be a problem for me, but I'm moving to Notts permenantly soon and should be ok for transport by walking/cycling places. Just gonna be food prices really.

[PaulX]

Thanks to some recent bill increases, plus my employer not increasing pay this year, I'm currently living off my savings.

That's really shit.

[buzzingtalk]

dark times ahread - i use a bike and am not relyin on cars as transport but i do often rely on public buses and trains, aswell as oil used to transport food and goods. tesco/sainsburys is the only option to eat with the recent price hikes

[Slypsy]

if it hasn't yet peaked, and i wouldn't be surprised if it had as many well respected geologists predicted it peaking this decade, which is almost finished, then it will do soon, and persoanlly i beleive that when this happens it will be the start of a really steep drop on the slippery slope that we are already on (and i wouldn't count myself as a survivalist Sperge).

It is not just cars and transport, but foodwise, fertliser, its application and current soil management techniques all realy heavily on oil. if people think food prices (and petrol) are expensive now, you aint seen nothing yet!