The first problem is convincing people that Peak Oil is real.

Then, they must understand that alternative energies will help little and will actually makes matter worse by accelerating oil depletion.

Then, you have to change national policy, but that is determined by constituent and interest group pressures.

Then you have to change international policy. Because the demand for oil is so high, it will always be higher than production; thus the depletion rate will continue until all recoverable oil is extracted. Thus the U.S. cannot conserve its way out of this catastrophe even if every car was permanently parked starting today. The U.S. is 1/4th of the consumption of oil.

A good, decent, and credible member of Congress can only get 15 colleagues to join his Peak Oil caucus. So Bartlett can't even get policymakers to step one.

So goes the Titanic.