Life After Oil

It looks like mankind has decided to procrastinate dealing with the end of oil and with climate change. The reason is extremely short term thinking from big oil. So it looks as though we are going to be forced to live with very little energy. What will life be like?

• Cars and taxis will be too expensive for all but the elites. The rest of us will use public transport (which will also be very expensive) and bicycles. There will be bikes that are power-assisted and various human-powered and low-power vehicles.
• Zoning laws will be relaxed so that everyone can walk to the local shopping district.
• People who own homes will put solar panels on the roof.
• Plastics will become expensive. They will be replaced by plant-based materials.
• There will be no lawns. That land will grow food, tended by computers.
• Elevators will accessible only by the disabled.
• Almost no one will be able to afford heating or air conditioning. Temperature control will be done by passive insulation and heat exchange.
• You will not buy much new. You will shop for second hand, then fix it up.
• Instead of traveling by air, people will have electronic meetings, and other forms of telepresence.
• Trains will have a revival for transporting goods. Airplanes will fade away.
• Transportation costs will put a nail in the coffin of globalisation. People will tend to get their food and goods locally.
• Ships will be driven by high-tech sails and driven by computers. They will be slower than oil-powered ships, but much cheaper to run. They will not require crews.
• Because it takes energy to pump water, water will become expensive. It will be metered to discourage consumption. Toilets will be redesigned to use no or less water. Showers and baths will be considered extravagant luxuries.

~ Roedy (1948-02-04 age:70)