@ Tim
I’d hoped people on this forum might recognise a bit of “Friday” when they saw it. In future I’d appreciate being referred to as “fat tosser” rather than “big man”. It’s much more accurate.
On a serious note, the reduction in resources as a trigger for change strikes me as being how this will play out. The human race has a poor track record for changing without some degree of compulsion and a worse one for ignoring difficult decisions. I’d venture that for every great moment in history inspired by altruism and philanthropy, there will be a dozen driven by force.
All the alternatives to oil presently being developed rely on consumption of finite resources; we’re simply swapping one shortage for another. It’s going to take greater minds than yours or mine to crack this one. In the meantime, lower consumptions buys us time but doesn’t solve the problem.
Yes I do have a large 4x4 but then I split my time between project management contract work and forestry work with a sideline in agricultural fencing. I also have a smallholding where we produce much of our own meat, fruit, eggs and veg, bartering with others in the village for things we don’t produce ourselves. I tow a 3500kg trailer for moving animals, timber, feed etc.
Trouble is, when I drive to a town I get labelled by the car I’m in by people who might have smaller cars. I’d prepare to bet the majority of their houses are a mass of processed foods and the latest must-have gadgets and they wouldn’t know a composting system if it came and kicked them in the backside