Two books recently grabbed my attention:
THE PARTY'S OVER, by Richard Heinberg (2003)
OUT OF GAS, by David Goodstein (2004)
In a nutshell, here is the problem:
Global oil supplies are drying up.
Global oil demand continues to increase.
Higher prices and rationing are inevitable within a very few years.
My predictions, made in November 2004, were that the price of gas would hit $4.00 a gallon in 2006; I was too pessimistic; they "only" reached (in Colorado) $3.30. I also predicted rationing in 2007 and home heating costs to triple by 2008. I think now I was premature in these predictions, so here are my new ones as of October, 2006:
Gasoline prices will reach $4.00 a gallon in the summer of 2007.
Gasoline rationing will come in the summer of 2009.
The cost to heat your home in winter will double by 2010.
After that, things will get bad in a variety of ways.
I hope I am wrong. But there is nothing on the horizon to give me hope otherwise.
For further study, see the website of my geophysicist friend, Glenn Morton, at: