When the Apocalypse Comes, Where Do You Want to Be?

Well, let’s see… you probably don’t want to starve to death…

The answer is obvious: learn Russian now. Russia doesn’t need to import any fossil fuels to turn into food to support its population. Russia exports about 1500 kcals/person/day now and with global warning, grain producing areas will increase as forests in Russia are turned into farmland.

The US is dependent on 12% of the fossil fuels it “needs” today, but produces 450 kcals/person/day more than enough food needed. It used to pay farmers to produce so the American Food for Peace program, since 1954, could “give” away food to influence countries worldwide, but with the gutting of USAID, the surplus can be turned into ethanol to fuel US of Americans’ cars.

And Japan depends on about half of needed food to be imported and 99% of needed fossil fuels. So when, not if, fossil fuel exports end globally (so those who still have them can use them domestically), then the last place you’d want to be is Japan, right?

Wrong again, modern human.

And the population of North America in 1800 was about 5.2 million, same number, 99%, rounded off and most arable lands that could be cropped with needed fallow periods were being cropped by indigenous and colonialists without fossil fuel inputs in 1800 other than as aided by metal tools (e.g. ax, plows…) used by colonialists by 1800. The Incans were having to import guano from offshore islands to maintain production to support a population otherwise in overshoot when Pizarro arrived.

Ending all fossil fuel use will change your modern life (metastatic) as you know it (whether a homeless street urchin or one of the Billionaire Bro Brothers). To end all fossil fuel use you don’t have to do anything. It is one of many conditions that will come anyway. Have a nice Anthropocene (until you can’t).