After peak oil subsides, what should the Progressive stance be?

Where demand is much greater than supply, people will suffer unless they adapt.

I'm assuming everyone here knows to the fullest extent of our reliance on oil and its prevalance in society; right down to growing of food to water distribution to medical operations and other functions, amongst too many other things to say in just one small post...

How do we adapt? Where do we begin? What do we teach people, and how?

Peak oil may subside as early as 2005. There is no concrete date, but the approximations shown on graphs all say that it will go downhill by 2010.

Let's make the aftermath of peak oil the issue that exterminates corporate and GOP interests for good. We are the party that cares about people and families, and this is the way to do it. They care for only power and profit and clearly want to keep the issue, as with all social issues, OUT of the media.

We have a historic opportunity here...

Kill for food.

-Safi

We could also be humane and hand out copies of "Final Exit", complete with the necessary equipment. (though one aditional element would make the passing go more quickly, it isn't reeeeally needed.)

I can see why this thread won't be popular. Not because people are in denial, but because our society has set it up so much in a certain way, that a paradigm shift is, for the most part, impossible. :cry:

it will be very painful, though

I'm not trying to be Pollyanna-ish, but I try to keep in mind that the oil guys are exerting quite a bit of influence to make any switch from oil seem very, very difficult. Another thing that I think is a red herring is the declaration that "nothing can replace oil", because of all the areas in which it is predominant. Of course nothing (no one thing) can replace oil, but a collection of other things can. The Japanese will probably be the leaders in the switch, because they have absolutely no oil on Japan.

Do you see a collection of alternatives to oil in 25 years? 10 years? 5 years?

We won't know when we are over the peak until we are downhill. There's mounting evidence peak oil happened in 2000, so alternatives must be developed enough, tested, industrialiazed and commercialized in a 10 or 15 years (max) timeframe.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

We may not have all the things and services we do now, but those who survive will probably come out living as if they were in the 1800's.
Heck, even the Romans had indoor plumbing.
We are a spoiled lot today.

Probably the Internet will be a tool that will better the chance of our survival. Obviously energy consumption will HAVE to go down a lot, but I'm sure computers, cell phones, PDA's, will be available but used smartier.

Permaculture - A Designer's Manual
by Bill Mollison

We would need to show people how to take care of their own needs as much as possible. Capturing energy and growing food even in cities.

Could it be done? I don't know.