The post-petroleum paradigm
It is hard to imagine a world without oil in detail, but some aspects of the post-petroleum paradigm can be predicted with some degree of safety.
Should be used all economically viable sources of energy, but replace the oil in its great versatility probably will not be completely possible. Replace the role of oil and gas together in agricultural production will be the biggest problem, and could be a problem not completely solved.
The world's population will be made compatible with smaller quantities of food by means of a reduction. Pimentel and Pimentel (1996) state: "... the nations of the world must develop a plan to reduce global population by nearly six billion today [in 1996, the estimated world population now amounts to 6,909,980,739 people - NDT] about two billion [... still too many - NDT]. If man will not be able to control the size of their population numbers, will take care of nature. "Since the stop and turn back the train of population growth is something that can only be done gradually, this is a process that should be started now (Cohen, 1995). If this is not done, it is likely to occur on a large scale famine. "[Since Cohen argued this thesis, others have already passed 16 years, approximately 1,010,729,471 people added to global population: nothing has been done, separately discuss - NDT]
The excellent personal mobility of those people now fortunate enough to enjoy the use of automobiles and airplanes will be greatly reduced.
The lifestyle of energy-consuming nations should be facilitated. The nations that do not enjoy the possibility of such energy use have less to lose and could not be forced to live like big changes.
The attention of society as a whole should be given much more towards ensuring the foundations of existence than it does today, especially in affluent societies where abundance is considered to be guaranteed and the good life lived accordingly.
Scientists, economists, sociologists and political scientists are increasingly concerned about the effects of the oil. Mitigate the social and economic strains have the highest priority.