- Feb 21, 2004
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I've been seeing all these posts about engines and power sources and have been thinking lately about the possibilities of transportation in the future - please feel free to think with me!
The other day I was wondering - what would happen if a "world war" broke out in, say, the Middle East and major political disruptions in other countries suddenly cut off vast amounts of the oil supply to the US?
My main concern was the food supply; the vast majority of the US buys food from grocery stores which is shipped in from around the world. Without gasoline/diesel to transport these supplies, entire cities could starve within the month.
On a local level, my family owns some property and we are fairly avid farmers. I was thinking we could become subsistence farmers; my father thought the best crops would be potatoes, beans, and squash due to their storage longevity and ease to grow.
I realize there would be major implications in the "civilized" cities (riots, etc.), but what would you do if you could not be assured of easy food purchase for an indefinite amount of time?
What, if anything, chould be done to reduce the possibility of this happening (reliance on local energy sources for transportation?)
Just how far-reached would be the implications if we had to run on mostly local oil supplies, say 25% of the US' current supply? What technologies are the most likely to come through under that kind of pressure?
The other day I was wondering - what would happen if a "world war" broke out in, say, the Middle East and major political disruptions in other countries suddenly cut off vast amounts of the oil supply to the US?
My main concern was the food supply; the vast majority of the US buys food from grocery stores which is shipped in from around the world. Without gasoline/diesel to transport these supplies, entire cities could starve within the month.
On a local level, my family owns some property and we are fairly avid farmers. I was thinking we could become subsistence farmers; my father thought the best crops would be potatoes, beans, and squash due to their storage longevity and ease to grow.
I realize there would be major implications in the "civilized" cities (riots, etc.), but what would you do if you could not be assured of easy food purchase for an indefinite amount of time?
What, if anything, chould be done to reduce the possibility of this happening (reliance on local energy sources for transportation?)
Just how far-reached would be the implications if we had to run on mostly local oil supplies, say 25% of the US' current supply? What technologies are the most likely to come through under that kind of pressure?