The fall of Humanity

The fall of Humanity

The fall of humanity is coming and most of you don’t even know it. Everyone is so preoccupied with their own existence and the problems in it that not a thought is spared in thinking about the future of humanity as a whole. We have become a society of over-indulgence because we are told every day that we need to have more. More TVs, more computers, more cars with more horsepower and the list is endless. The end of civilization as we know it its staring us right in the face, yet most can’t see it and those that can, choose to ignore it.

The apocalyptic prophesies of a hundred religions will most likely take place in the lifetimes of anyone reading this letter. The wars, the famines, the pestilence, all of it are on the way and it is not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. When? That’s a question with many variables, but let me assure you it will begin within 30 years, or it could start tomorrow.

It’s all about the oil. We are running out, and quickly. Most scientists and geologists predict we have between 30 to 40 years of it left, based in current consumption levels. The earth was endowed with roughly 2000 billion barrels of oil. As of the turn of this century, we have used about half. As of 2003, we as a planet consume about 28 billion barrels of oil per year. Simple math can figure out the rest. Divide 1000 by 28 and we get 35.7 That’s almost 38 years left, based on current consumption levels. The problem is, demand will not stay at current consumption levels. The population is increasing, by 2025 there will be about 8 billion people on this planet, all of them driving up the demand for oil. Herein lies another problem; we don’t have to run out to be in deep trouble.

Since 1998, oil has risen in price over 450%. In 98 it was 11 dollars a barrel. Now, in 2004 it is over 50 dollars a barrel. Almost every single thing we do, buy or even eat requires oil, and cheap oil at that. Modern medicine, agriculture, transportation, essentially everything, depends on petrochemicals. Food, medicine, plastics, electronics, machinery, everything. As demand increases and supply drops, the price will rise on all of these things, and they will rise to astronomical levels. Farmers will not be able to afford fuel for their machines, or pesticides for their crops. If they can afford them, it will reflect in the price of foodstuffs, and millions can’t afford to eat even now. Civil services will break down. Millions, especially those in the cities that depend on transportation of food that is no longer produced locally, will begin to starve. How many will be able to afford electrical power that is largely generated by oil? What about those that heat their homes with oil? We are already feeling the pinch and the worst is yet to come. The nation states of this planet are poised on the brink of a huge series of resource wars. We can already see it coming in the Middle East. It’s not about terrorism; it’s about controlling what is left of a dwindling resource. If war comes, collapse will come even faster. War uses a tremendous amount of oil.


I think people in general believe that some advancement in technology will save us. We all think that scientists are working round the clock to develop new technologies for generating power. They are, and only have about 35 years to find the miracle that will save us all. Oil has been the father of invention on this planet for 150 years. We need it desperately to develop the technology that will enable us to bridge the gap between our planet and the stars. The only way for humanity to survive and flourish is to expand outwards. We are already on the brink of this planets ability to support itself with the billions of people we have on it, with more on the way. Unless we develop the technology to supply us with the power we need to get off this planet, humanity will reach an evolutionary dead end. We need what precious little oil is left to propel our species forward. If we squander it away, we will never leave this planet, and humanity will begin its downward spiral to extinction. If we run out, before we develop this and other technologies, our massive population will consume every non-renewable resource this planet has to offer and then it will be gone forever. If we are lucky, our species will survive, but it will be at a pre-industrial level and will stay that way. Oil is non-renewable. Once it is gone… so goes any hope of the advancement of our species.

World leaders, modern industry, the financial system, and each and every person on this planet need to do everything they can to ensure this doesn’t happen. We need to change our habits, and change them now. It will be a huge, bitter pill to swallow. The changes will not come easy, not with 6.5 billion mouths to feed and heat but change must come. The higher the population is when the changes come, the greater the shock when it does. It is as inevitable as the setting sun. Many people will think, well, it’s not my problem. Think about your children, think about your grandchildren, and think about your friends and their kids. Think about the future of humanity. Do you want to see the last of the human species squatting in the decaying ruins of our own greatness, struggling to survive on the scraps of what’s left of this world, or do you want to see humanity spreading and flourishing beyond the confines of this tiny little planet. The choice is not up to those in power, the choice is up to each and every one of us. Only we, the people, can make the changes we need to make to ensure the very survival of our species.