post-oil

It is not likely that the oil our earth holds will last another century based on our increasing addiction to it. What will happen in the future is that our grandchildren will read about the days when the whole world was run on oil. They will be stunned. They will ask themselves, "How could grampa have lived like that?"

The history books in our great-grand children's history class will mark the time when humanity entered a time called "the post-oil era". Things will be run off of natural gas, solar, electric, wind and nuclear power. But there will be no oil to speak of. Even now oil companies are transitioning into "energy" companies. They see the writing on the wall even if they can't let go of the black gold just yet.

There was a time before the telephone, and now we live in the cell phone age. There was a time before computers, and now we are right in the middle of the information age. There will be a time when there is no more oil to speak of and our addiction to it will finally end.

The post-oil age will be a time of extensive advancements in renewable sources of energy. It will change the economic landscape of our world. The oil rich nations will lose their economic power. Those nations who developed alternative energy technology early in this century will be the ones who thrive.

My hope for America is that we begin a 12 step program to free ourselves from oil addiction within the next decade. If we keep waiting for the well to run dry, it will be too late.