The Oil Drum

45 comments on Movie review: Escape from Suburbia-Beyond the American Dream

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umass82 on October 7, 2007 - 2:44pm

The movie is another effort to warn those who are not peak aware of the oncoming "long emergency".

This movie will of course make some people aware, but in many cases it will be preaching to the choir. I still think it is an important work. It is important because it gives some hope and direction to those in small cities and towns about how to ready themselves or the post peak era.

The reality is that while there may be towns like wllits ca that are as a community aware and active, the great majority of cities are not.

Those who are peak aware who live in large or medium cities like Toronto, cities with the majority of people or governments that are not preparing will be dragged down by the economic collapse. Rome went from over a million people to less than 10k in a few years when the food and water stopped coming. Petra simply faded away for the same reason. Civilizations collapse, two of the major reasons are climate change, like the greenland norse, and resource depletion vis a vis population like easter island, among others what we are facing is both,

Climate change in a future with abundant energy is one thing but combine that future with an economy and society dependent on cheap oil when that oil starts to fade away is not going to be pretty,

Suburbia in america will start to wither away first slow then it will be a torrent, the decay will begin with a few homes being foreclosed at a time, then people will not put money into their homes. food will get more expensive, because of transit costs, lack of fertilizer, higher grain costs. Sure some will plant gardens and can food and community gardens are great but without city water they will dry up if the amount of water i used to keep my garden alive here in the ohio river valley this summer is any indication. also will a neighbor with starving children hesitate to take it? bust your ass to keep fed and the local thug will take it just as it is ripe. There will be no mercy. The government will be no help, just ask the people in NOLA.

Where will all of the suburbanites go? It will not be pretty. 300 million people and not enough food grown locally and none being trucked in, do the math.