Net Zero is the Plan for Peak Oil in disguise
An imminent peak of world crude production is why we have carbon credits, traffic controls, plastic bans, vegan nudging, and humanity walking into a digital trap
darkfuturology.substack.com
Net Zero is the Plan for Peak Oil in disguise
An imminent peak of world crude production is why we have carbon credits, traffic controls, plastic bans, vegan nudging, and humanity walking into a digital trap
When you heard about the Great Reset and New Normal, did you wonder what exactly was guaranteed to revolutionise our entire way of life? Probably not daily climate catastrophes. Surely not simultaneous viruses miraculously sustaining their virulence while circulating the globe. Whatever happened, surely we’d just Build Back Better?
It turns out there is a truly revolutionary event for humanity on the near horizon: growing scarcity of the finite resource that powers the global economy and enables mass production of its four fundamental pillars: steel, cement, fertiliser and plastics.
Peak Oil theory lost momentum as deep-sea drilling, fracking of shale deposits, and steaming of tar sands kept the show on the road well into the 2010s. But could there be any clearer signs that we’ve entered the final chapter of the hydrocarbon age? The high point for oil discovery was almost 60 years ago. As every oil field must peak and enter decline, so must all known reserves as a whole.
It seems apt that the global peak of production would arrive after decades of declining prosperity and opportunities for the average school-leaver, culminating in extreme inequality and grand, vague slogans uttered by a series of influential figures across the political spectrum. Without some major ongoing narrative to justify things getting worse, political establishments will be threatened from all sides.
Unsurprising, then, that a Plan for Peak Oil (PPO) is already in full flow: it's the very same plan that ostensibly seeks to slash carbon emissions to Net Zero. Since hydrocarbons are the major ingredient in plastics, the plan also requires phasing out plastic use. Schemes to reduce pollution and traffic congestion also serve to slash oil consumption via the progressive exclusion of private vehicles.
Whether elected leaders know it or not, Net Zero is all about coordinating, across countries and continents, the inevitable down-scaling of the global economy. The advantages to the 1% of selling their PPO as a climate emergency, with the promise of improved cities and health, are clear. For starters, nobody has to concede that they were complicit in the illusion that this finite resource could last infinitely.
Second, by framing it as a broad moral imperative (the planet, community, health) they hope to recruit almost all youth as evangelists, while opponents from any angle can be easily smeared. Thirdly, a more widely-defined mission enables a more comprehensive agenda to be pushed, with moveable climate targets and priorities permitting policies be to introduced at variable pace in diverse regions.
Limiting panic and political upheaval, the PPO actually masks the ending of growth by providing a fresh spurt of activity. Replacing existing, serviceable things with brand new, more complex things doesn’t always make sense from the perspective of efficiency, let alone future scarcity. However, it does create the widespread illusion that we are future-proofing the economy.
Why not be on the green & efficient bandwagon? Who doesn’t want clean, walkable communities? What’s not to like about a Universal Basic Income (UBI)?
Whatever we do, pollution is destined to disappear. Efficiency and alternatives will emerge by default. Walking and bicycling will become the norm. None of this requires that we adopt new forms of surveillance and control.
Technology is steadily reducing the labor required across the economy, but scarcity of oil will do so far more directly. Reliance on the state, however, could mean digital-only income. If cash is phased out entirely, anyone’s income from any source could be subject to limits on how, when and where it is spent.
Sunny brochures promise “15-minute” city districts with almost everything within walking distance — but don’t depict the network of cameras and other sensors that could enforce not only limited car journeys, but pricing by distance travelled. Most private vehicles will disappear from roads, and all public transport might be free (but potentially limited based on distance, evaluated need or any other reason).
Smart meters, supplied free of charge across the West to meet ambitious targets, enable per-residence limits to be placed on electricity usage. Digital ID, expected to be required for all Internet access, would enable restrictions on the type of online activity, time spent online, and locations/hours of Internet availability. Facial recognition could enforce bans on physical presence outside of specific zones.
This is the digital trap. With just a few innovations in the name of clean air, security, cheaper bills and reliable income, you would forever be at the mercy of a state attempting to maintain order in the midst of prolonged economic contraction. There would be very little resistance, violence or rule-breaking if punishments were rapid and arbitrary — exactly what the digital trap is capable of.
An honest PPO salesman would say this is by far the most efficient means of controlling a population: no prisons, judges or police (except robot police) involved in dealing with minor offences. It will be accepted because, despite the rich doing what they please, commoners will be convinced that they are contributing to the greater good, making the same sacrifices as everyone else.
The honest salesman would also admit that the 1% will never let a good crisis go to waste. Think of all the data that could be harvested to feed Artificial Intelligence, helping to augment and extend the lives of Transhumans. Not to mention the data that could minimise crime and maximise compliance. Give up all your data, or suffer. The WEF warned us back in 2018 that we’d have no privacy, and we’d be happy.
But why must the masses be forced to eat lab-grown protein and bug burgers? Quite simply, because these can be mass-produced and continually modified so that medical and other data can be analysed for different groups of consumers. The less privacy and autonomy society enjoys, the more power our rulers can obtain. Everything about the PPO can be viewed through this very simple lens.
Does this mean we’ll be herded into pods in cities? Anything is possible when the state has control over the food supply, or your money, or home comforts, or ability to travel. Certainly, rising world population will be forced into reverse, and it would be trivial to guarantee greater longevity for citizens residing in the smart city. Don’t you want to help save the planet?
Can any cities resist growing surveillance? Maybe only temporarily. The PPO cannot realistically advance at a uniform pace around the globe. Some countries, some cities will pioneer different components of the plan, experiencing setbacks and pushbacks. Ideally, villages and towns would now be seeing a revival as the drawbacks and risks of city living are made clear to remote workers.
The most urgent resistance might be to promote the use and importance of cash. Another, more direct action would be to damage or destroy any cameras that could regulate the movement of vehicles or humans. Grow food, keep chickens, and support local farmers. Learn to use ham radio, or to fix bikes, build wood stoves or install solar panels. Share this article online and with your neighbours.
If we collectively understand the true motivation behind Net Zero, their wider agenda cannot be imposed as easily as they hope. Smashing the main deception will lead to the unravelling of the rest.
We can manage energy scarcity with full transparency, and minimal surveillance or control. Avoiding the digital trap is paramount. Anything else means our most basic freedoms are on the line.
Here are some sources that are worth a follow.
Gigaohm Biological - first for good reason. Requires hours of attention to get the picture, but very rewarding. Learn Your Biology!
Our Finite World - a comprehensive blog on energy issues.
Geoff Buys Cars - an accessible YouTube channel looking at PPO measures in the UK.
THANKS FOR READING & SHARING.
