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Started By
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Petroleum and electricity are the most important commodities of modern life.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 8:57 am
Posted on 9/10/25 at 8:57 am
I was thinking about the loss of electricity recently and the impact it would have on our lives and society. It’s basically the one thing standing between us and complete chaos.
No electricity means no refrigeration, which means starvation for millions.
As far as petroleum products, the list of things that are made with petroleum is too long to list.
I thank god daily for both.
No electricity means no refrigeration, which means starvation for millions.
As far as petroleum products, the list of things that are made with petroleum is too long to list.
I thank god daily for both.
12
Posted on 9/10/25 at 8:59 am to bhtigerfan
That’s why I thank God for .556
Posted on 9/10/25 at 9:06 am to bhtigerfan
So, you took the blue pill. Only the machines need electricity to survive.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 9:11 am to bhtigerfan
quote:
I was thinking about the loss of electricity recently and the impact it would have on our lives and society. It’s basically the one thing standing between us and complete chaos.
after Ida I went 27 days without electricity and 29 days without running water.
trust me when I say that running water was by far the more important to get back of the two.
I agree with the petroleum products, because I was able to run a generator to create electricity. I can start a fire to cook, etc.
but I was not able to create clean fresh water.
as the days crept by it became harder and harder to get my hands on bottles or jugs of it (because everyone had the same problem I did).
when they say to stock up on water before a storm, most people only think of it for drinking purposes, and not the everyday use of clean water.
bathing/cleaning yourself, cleaning clothes and dishes, cooking with water, you name it.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 9:11 am to sqerty
quote:Well I’m pretty fond of air conditioning and refrigeration.
So, you took the blue pill. Only the machines need electricity to survive.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 9:14 am to Nutriaitch
quote:True.
trust me when I say that running water was by far the more important to get back of the two.
I guess I always assume that fresh rainwater is available here in south Louisiana, but during the summer we can go weeks without rain.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 9:16 am to bhtigerfan
Wood is up there.
Cotton too.
Cotton too.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 9:22 am to BestBanker
quote:Well we only need wood for building, or burning for heat if you don’t have electricity.
Wood is up there.
Cotton too.
Cotton for clothing but it’s not that important.
I’ll take electricity and petroleum products over cotton any day.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 9:26 am to Nutriaitch
quote:
running water was by far the more important to get back of the two
Water is way more important that electricity or petroleum.
You need water to access either one of them.
This post was edited on 9/10/25 at 9:27 am
Posted on 9/10/25 at 9:49 am to bhtigerfan
quote:
No electricity means no refrigeration, which means starvation for millions.
People would switch to using fermentation, drying, smoking, salting and pickling just as they did in the past.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 10:10 am to bhtigerfan
quote:
trust me when I say that running water was by far the more important to get back of the two.
quote:
True.
I guess I always assume that fresh rainwater is available here in south Louisiana, but during the summer we can go weeks without rain.
we didn't get much rain after Ida.
it was just hot and humid.
trying to get things back together at 4 different houses in that heat, you ned to drink a ton of water.
then after a day of cleanup/repairs you're pretty nasty, sweaty, covered in god knows what from tree limbs, remnants of debris you're moving, etc.
have to be able to clean up, especially washing hands, brushing teeth, etc.
and the bodies of water around here (bayous, swimming pools, etc.) were all filled with debris and oil slicks, etc. so couldn't use those just to jump in and half arse clean yourself.
you also need clean fresh water for cooking purposes as well.
nobody really has cisterns any more, so any collection of rain water wouldn't even start until sometime after the storm.
and honestly, I don't exactly have containers laying around that would be sufficient to gather enough rain water to make a huge difference.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 10:10 am to Prawn
quote:How many people know how to do this? A minority.
People would switch to using fermentation, drying, smoking, salting and pickling just as they did in the past.
The big cities would experience mass starvation.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 10:13 am to bhtigerfan
One scary aspect of this is how much of our food supply is dependent on fossil fuels in the sense that we pour natural gas based fertilizers on the land and need oil based pesticides. Plus, fuel to run the equipment, irrigation, move the food, etc.
This post was edited on 9/10/25 at 10:17 am
Posted on 9/10/25 at 10:14 am to Prawn
That's great, but won't feed 8.2 billion people.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 10:19 am to bhtigerfan
It's a short trip to anarchy.
Between Katrina and the descent into hell over just three days, and Covid exposing the fragility of the global supply chain network, it should be clear that there is a very delicate balance upon which we all teeter.
The current lack of stability at the top of our government doesn't help matters, either.
Between Katrina and the descent into hell over just three days, and Covid exposing the fragility of the global supply chain network, it should be clear that there is a very delicate balance upon which we all teeter.
The current lack of stability at the top of our government doesn't help matters, either.
This post was edited on 9/10/25 at 10:25 am
Posted on 9/10/25 at 10:26 am to bhtigerfan
Posted on 9/10/25 at 10:26 am to bhtigerfan
quote:
Petroleum
Don't need it, I take the bus
Posted on 9/10/25 at 12:08 pm to Bunk Moreland
You should check out John Michael Greer's writings on the long withdrawal process from petroleum. It isn't an apocalyptic shift but a gradual decline over centuries. Oil fields don’t all run out overnight; they peak and then decline slowly. As we go through the decline, we will find substitutions that don’t fully replace oil but stretch the descent. High oil prices slow economies down, which in turn reduces demand for oil. This feedback loop prevents runaway scarcity and forces gradual adjustments. People adjust their expectations and lifestyles and use less energy, shifting social norms. So, we gradually shift from using refrigeration to using more traditional methods for food preservation. It doesn't happen overnight, so people have time to learn the skills. Things like dependence of petroleum for fertilizer gradually disappear as petroleum becomes scarcer. People will have enough time during the process to switch back to farming with muscle (human and draught animals) and organic fertilizer.
The process is like other collapses in history with declines over centuries and people born in the later part of the process just seeing the changes as "the way things are."
The process is like other collapses in history with declines over centuries and people born in the later part of the process just seeing the changes as "the way things are."
Posted on 9/10/25 at 12:48 pm to bhtigerfan
quote:
No electricity means no refrigeration, which means starvation for millions.
Yup, supply lines would break down and anybody near a heavily populated area would pretty much be screwed. 50%+ of the population would be dead in a year. If you can't run 2 miles you're probably dead in a couple of months. It'd be an absolute nightmare to try to live through.
Posted on 9/10/25 at 1:01 pm to bhtigerfan
quote:
I was thinking about the loss of electricity recently and the impact it would have on our lives and society. It’s basically the one thing standing between us and complete chaos
I often think about how much power the world needs, and how it's increasing rapidly, especially with all the data center and Ai needs.
It's mind boggling
I can't quantify how much resources are really out there, but I would think we need better and more efficient sources of power sooner than later.
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