The 2030 Spike

CHAPTER 2

RUNNING OUT OF FUEL:THE COMING ENERGYCRUNCH

The coming fuel drought will cripple world trade and economies unless major efforts are made to develop alternatives urgently. But this, serious though it is, is only one aspect of the problem. The mechanization of agriculture and dependence on petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides largely created the green revolution – it has been said that modern agriculture uses land to convert petroleum into food. Some scientists are predicting that, denied oil, world agriculture will be able to provide food for many less people¹ – on one estimate, only 2 billion, with current corn yields in the United States, now 130 bushels an acre, falling to around 30 bushels.² The implications of this in a 2030 ...