The Titanic Has Hit the Iceberg, Think Its Going to Right Itself?

The entire paradigm that has dominated the twentieth century is beginning to collapse here in the good ole USA. Economic systems dependent on growth have maxed out on resources and are beginning to fall apart. What the economy has just experienced is a symptom. Basically, the late twentieth century American economy is crashing on the shoals of history. It's for the best as far as I'm concerned.

There are two factors that are global in nature and absolutely out of our control that dominate the world. The first is Peak Oil, which I've written about before. The civilization that grew out of the industrial revolution, the one that we live in today, requires amounts of energy that are astronomical. This energy is obtained by the burning of fossil fuels: oil, coal, and natural gas. Up until now it's been relatively cheap. It's about to get much more expensive, then much harder to obtain, until finally there's not enough left and it's so hard to get that it's not worth it. The time until then was thought to have been centuries when I was growing up, now it's considered in decades.

It's not just energy that fossil fuels are used for. Look around you right now and become aware of the things that are plastic or synthetic fiber like nylon. That's oil. Most pharmaceuticals are synthesized from oil. Very importantly, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and such are made from fossil fuels. Our entire agricultural system is based in the use of these things on the land. Without them, agriculture as we know it is in a heap of trouble.

The second major force is global climate change brought on by global warming amped up by greehouse gasses such as carbon dioxide. Atmospheric carbon dioxide was about 270 parts per million (ppm) prior to the industrial revolution. The say 350 ppm is a serious point. We now stand at 386 ppm.

It's not as if this is going to happen tomorrow, although I am concerned about the overall economy in the months to come, but I'm thinking that we need to be checking out the lifeboats.