'Eating Fossil Fuels' by Dale Allen Pfeiffer

Summary:
Two of the largest fossil fuels, which are currently essential to our nation's economy may not be so dependable in the future. 1) Oil hit its peak of its production much earlier than it was expected to. May other people believe in alternatives to oil such as fuel cells and hydrogen, but they do not give nearly enough energy to supply our economy's needs. 2) Natural Gas in North America is also greatly on the decline. Mexico has has stopped producing gas, and rather is importing to supply its its natural gas needs. Most of the large natural gas reserves in the United States have already been tapped and we are beginning to rely a little bit on the supply that comes from Canada. Natural Gas is a gas, and although simple to gather, it does not have as much energy as oil. It also depletes much faster from within the earth, making it a very unlikely source of American investment in the near future.

In the meantime, it appears that our agricultural society is on the brink of collapse. The population of United States is continuously on the rise, which is going to cause enough problems in the near future. In order to maintain a sustainable population, it is estimated that the population of the world will have to be decreased by more than half. A real life example of what may come to be is currently going on in North Korea, which no longer can depend on getting its resources from Chain and the Soviet Union. This shortage of energy has greatly decreased the economy, production of good, and lowered the quality of life. If alternatives are not found, other industrialized nations across the world are all at risk.

Terms:
~Exosomatic: any form of memory that is recorded outside of the brain.

Comments:
~The farming industry is already in danger as it is and reliance on fossil fuels just make the entire situation worse. Society has openly replaced farm animals with machines without considering the consequences of their actions. These machines cost a lot of extra money, but can be used to tend to a greater amount of land and crops. As fossil fuels become more expensive, however, it will cost more to operate the machines, causing farming profits to decrease, and the price of food to increase. Eventually, when we run out of fossil fuels, we will probably have to convert back towards older, more traditional methods of farming. As a result, our economy will not be able to produce the quantities of food needed for sustainability.
~The United States can learn from Vietnam that fossil fuels are essential in a modern day society, and if a crisis were to occur where we could not supply ourselves fuel, our country would be in deep trouble. We can learn to look ahead towards the future of our nation, and try to avoid disaster.

Questions:
~What does the article mean when it says that M. King Hubbert was "condemned" for his prediction?
~How can a hospital in Korea function without energy for equipment and heat in the winter?
~Why does our government seem to do so very little to prepare for a future without fossil fuels?