Letters to the Editor
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Peak oil will be fun
Totally agree with the LW -- I've had the oilposter.org poster up in my office at work for the past few years. But when I think about the post-oil future, most of what I imagine is positive.
- Peak oil will spurn an unprecedented drive to innovate and conserve energy. We will see 100 years worth of neglected R&D into energy technology happen in a 10 year time span.
- City planning will become a science by necessity. No more endless sprawl. City planning will become three dimensional with condos and residential space on top, commercial and recreation on the ground, and utilities and transportation below ground. We will have walkable neighborhoods, no traffic congestion, etc.
- Products will become much better. It will no longer be economical for some ripoff consumer electronics company to build and ship three models of a $39 DVD player from asia to the US every year. You will be able to escape from your daughters friends' birthday parties without having to take home some useless plastic junk to fill your home that will end up in a landfill next week. In the future, if someone wants to build a product, they will put considerably more thought into it because the production and shipping costs will be much higher.
- There will be a big push to use local foods, backyard gardens will flourish, and more people will participate in, and appreciate food production. Subsidies will shift, and you won't be forced to eat cheap high fructose corn syrup with every food. Food will cost more, but people will be healthier.
When I look at our society, about 50% of what I see are roads and parking spaces. Is this really the best situation? I can't wait for $10/gallon.
Jason