Who here is worried about peak oil?

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Who is worried about peak oil and the possible effects it could have when we have a shortage?

That's something my great great great great grandchildren will have to worry about. Of course, that attitude doesn't help any.

I think there are going to be plenty of problems, but it's not going to be the end of civilization like the raving doomer lunatics at peakoil.com think. Indeed, I think Peak Oil will give the push needed to caused rapid advancement in renewable fuel technology. IMO the biggest thing that is going to change society-wise is that suburbs will come to develop their own city centers. And there will be a boom light-rail networks linking suburbs and urban cores and a boom in high-speed rail networks between major cities. The mass transit infrastructure of the more populated parts of the US will come to resemble that of Europe. Less populated parts of the country will take advantage of innovations in hybrid engine and battery technology that will reduce fuel use drastically (imagine hybrid cars that can run for the first 200 miles exclusively on stored battery power!).

Firstly, I think peak oil has already occurred.

Secondly, although I am not scared, I think the next decades will be difficult.
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I'm as worried about peak oil as I am about bird flu, SARS, an asteroid smashing into the planet or any of the other ends-of-the-world presented by the news media.

Humanity has a history of innovating its way out of its worst problems.

I think peak oil is likely within a century, if it comes too soon, I think it could cause real problems. Not so much because we can't develop our way into new energy sources but because it's difficult and expensive to do so and some countries are depending on oil almost as much as we are in the US. Lack of oil could crash China's economy, and collapsing economies and scarce resources are a recipe for war.

I'd love it if we could get light rail going here. When I lived in areas served by it I always took it when possible and left my car behind. The problem is, the region I'm living in (and I think many others too) are tearing UP their existing rail lines to make the corridors into trails, for runners, bikers and hikers. A large part of this area had easy access to well graded and developed rail beds... and they're gone.

Even the most rosy predictions put peak oil at 20 or 30 years away, so it's definitely something to be concerned about. The thing is, it will take 20 years or so just to make all the infrastructure changes to ensure a smooth transition away from a petroleum based economy.

It's not just gasoline that is an issue. Almost every aspect of life uses petroleum products in some way. Plastics, tires, dyes, nylon, liquid soap, insecticides, fertilizer, rubbing alcohol, some pharmaceuticals, and much more - all are petroleum products. Almost nothing about modern life would be the same without petroleum.

Also, I don't think most suburbs are going to see much light rail. Most of them just don't have the population densities. A few more buses would be more likely.