I have a plan for avoiding famines as we gradually run out of oil.
First,
running out of oil will create famines,
including here in the USA,
since we need lots of diesel fuel for
the irrigation pumps,
the tractors to plant crops,
the tractors to harvest crops,
the trucks to transport the crops to the processing plants,
the trucks to transport the processed crops to the livestock,
whether the livestock are
chickens, hogs, cattle, or humans,
and then the meat to the humans.
Without all that diesel fuel,
food does not even get close to the supermarket.
My plan for avoiding that famine,
below the squiggly.
The first part of the plan
is that someone must persuade everyone
to get themselves surgically sterilized,
so the birth rate is way down,
and after old farts like me are dead,
we will no longer need oil.
Our descendants can all live on farms,
or villages surrounded by farms,
using horses or mules to plant and harvest.
But between now and then,
as we get the number of humans down,
from 300 million Americans,
to 3 million Americans,
we need to ration the remaining oil.
As the flow of oil slows,
and it soon will,
since nearly every oil field is being pumped out at full capacity,
and there are very little reserves left,
and demand is going up,
the price at the pump will go way up,
and gas stations will sometimes be out of gas.
If gas and diesel are $25 per gallon,
and there's not enough to go around,
farms cannot operate,
and folks will starve.
So,
my plan has two points:
1. Rationing
2. Elimination of money.
The rationing could work like this:
diesel fuel would be given to farmers for the tractors and such,
to produce the food,
but for transport over longer distance,
all the diesel fuel would go to trains,
since trains deliver stuff
at a very efficient ratio
of how many tons of freight moved how many miles
per gallon of diesel fuel.
All food would be sent to certain distribution centers,
located at railroad sidings.
Very little frozen foods,
very little refrigerated foods,
since diesel fuel is used in the refrigerating or freezing units,
called "reefers,"
that keep food cold on trucks.
And a few trucks or vans
would deliver the food
the last leg,
from the distribution centers to neighborhood markets,
where the very last leg would be families on foot,
with carts and wagons,
or on the bus,
to get the food home.
Buses would get fuel,
to get folks to work and back,
and for some shopping.
The reason for number 2,
the elimination of money,
is to make everything work.
Rather than the farmers and ranchers
being expected to pay for fuel with money,
the fuel to produce the food
would be simply delivered to them,
no money changing hands.
When folks need food,
it would be simply delivered to them,
no money.
If folks need transportation,
they get on the bus,
no money.
Medical care,
no money.
If folks need a place to live,
close to the market,
if it's available,
they move in,
no money.
Landlords,
who are usually millionaires,
would live the same lifestyle they now live,
but they would not gain more wealth,
no money.
Workers who maintain homes
would continue to maintain homes,
anyone's homes,
first come, first served.
Many less important items
would no longer be manufactured,
such as most cheap plastic toys,
made from oil.
Important items would simply be provided,
rationed out,
but provided.
No money.
We can never make big changes,
as long as we keep serving money.
The reason the oil companies will not tell us the truth,
that we are long past the peak of oil production worldwide,
is because that is not how they earn more money.
If nothing is done,
unless it makes more money,
or there is lots of money flowing from willing taxpayers,
then we will never have anything for the greater good,
other than military and police and firefighters.
We can never produce food efficiently,
and distribute it efficiently,
in a situation of $25 per gallon fuel,
unless we eliminate money,
and ration everything.
Thanks for reading.