User:Americanus



New - Language research - Language

Thank you for visiting my user page. I am currently researching peak oil. I'm using this editing space to conduct part of the research. I have created several pages with information and thoughts from my research.


 * Background - My values and background, plus a few interesting links.


 * Values - A step in my journey to understand my beliefs and value system.


 * People - People who are knowledgeable and getting the word out regarding peak oil.


 * Articles - Recent articles related to peak oil as well as the economy.


 * Indicators - Links to Google News searches to related terms. Recorded hit counts show possible increase in awareness.


 * Future Energy - An attempt to explore the issue including thoughts on supply, demand, war, and peace; includes a few fantastic links.


 * Energy Crisis - Older article that outlines the situation. Some bits can be found in oil price increases.


 * Energy War - War is a possible consequence of peak oil. In this fictional story, I combine the current evidence, with some history, to describe why a war would occur, how it would be fought, and who would benefit.


 * War - While researching war, I noticed some ideas for the causes didn't appear in the war article. I mined the page's history and found several deleted ideas.  I created this page from the recovered material.



My interest in peak oil and oil depletion arose during the middle of August in 2005 when I noticed that prices for regular gasoline had reached $2.79 per gallon. I thought that this would be difficult to pay for some people; particularly lower income, working class, and fixed income individuals. I started thinking about how higher gasoline prices effected people and changed their behaviors. Spending a higher percentage of their money on gasoline leaves a lower percentage for entertainment and disposable items. Higher gasoline prices could also cause some people to be unable to afford a long drive to work. As I thought longer, I began to recognize more and more of the wide-reaching economic impacts of gasoline price increases.

After returning home, I began researching the gasoline price increases. While doing that, I linked to an article on the Hubbert peak theory. After reading it carefully, I realized that this was an issue much more significant than I had imagined. I never really thought in depth about oil supply or demand. The concept that "supply must reach a maximum" is indisputable. The reality that this event would have a global impact surprised me. I always thought running out of oil was the problem. I only remember the media reporting about when the oil would be gone.

My research is ongoing. I am adjusting my thinking to a future where oil (and thus energy) is much more costly and difficult to get. I'm thinking and writing about what I can personally do to smoothly transition to a time when only renewable energy sources are available. I am concerned that this could be a very rough transition for many people. The more I read, the more I realize that in certain countries and regions, this transition is already happening, or just about to happen.

I invite you to visit the pages I've worked on so far and to explore on your own the Hubbert peak theory, what it means to you personally, and the future of the world in general. I would appreciate any comments. Please feel free to share on my talk page.