What'll Ya Have? Part 1 of 5.

Here we are, a bit over a year away from the date that the Mayan calendar stopped, suggesting to some that they believe that the world will come to an end.  Rather, that society as we know it will come to an end, bring about changes that will start a new order.  Now, I don't believe this any more than the next logical person, but it's still fun (in a twisted sort of way) to ponder the possibilities.  I know that it sure helps to pass time when I'm at work, and anything that helps to pass the time there can't be a bad thing!

Over the next few days I'll present to you, my list of the "Top 5" ways that I think that our "civilization" (or lack thereof) will ultimately meet its demise, starting with number 5.

Number 5: The Petroleum Meltdown
Yes, it's true...our entire society, along with the societies of every other industrialized nation, survives only as long as there is petroleum available, at a reasonable cost, to fuel industry.  Think about it this way...petroleum is somehow involved in every single aspect of your life every day.  Your car runs on gasoline, the engine is lubricated with oil.  All the tractor trailers that are delivering products and goods to stores are fueled by diesel. Aircraft, which are also transporting goods as well as passengers, fly only with fuel for their very thirsty engines.  Most passenger trains and freight trains require diesel to operate.  You get the idea.

When oil wells go dry, we'll be in serious trouble, very quickly

So, let's step forward about 50 years into the future.  This is a date that we can assume that most of the oil fields in the Middle East are starting to run dry, and we still haven't reached a good solution, such as drilling for the huge amounts of oil right here in North America.  Almost immediately the price of gasoline and diesel at the pumps jumps to a level that most people can't afford, which also includes the trucking companies and railroads.  Jet fuel becomes impossible for the airlines to afford.  Industry quickly grinds to a halt.  Food and goods can't be delivered to customers, workers can't afford to drive to work because they aren't even making enough in a paycheck to cover the cost of fuel. The entire global economy quickly slips into extinction, along with any sort of law and order.

Marshall law will quickly be declared, but there aren't enough police, or even military, to contain the violence of an entire population enraged over their loss of everything.  The only ones who will ultimately survive will be the ones who are smart enough, cunning enough, and possibly violent enough, to make a spot for them in the new life that emerges, which I imagine will be a lot like the Wild West of the 1800s.

-My 'guesstimated' chance of this happening:  Well, there is a 100% chance that oil wells WILL eventually run dry, but hopefully by then we'll have other options for fueling our economy.  My guesstimate for this exact scenario playing out is 30%.

-My 'guesstimated' population survival rate: 75%

Guesstimated population survival rate: 75%