Things are heating up!

Better get a handle on them now... and take action.

You can see why I'm worried - check out the latest Peak Oil Facts and ideas for Peak Oil survival here

But don't worry.... here at Post Oil Perth we have a cunning plan which you can check out for yourself here.

Let us know what you reckon, and above all, SPREAD THE WORD!!!!

Post Oil Perth had its first meeting last Saturday. There were 4 of us (I'm out of the shot because I took it!).

Rob (right), who is presently in the US Navy, was visiting Perth on a short stop over. Soon to leave the Navy for civvy life, he's pretty worried about where life in the US might be headed as peak oil heats up (and how to convince his lovely wife to move out with him to the country to grow food!).

Cal (center) had plenty of advice to offer on swaying one's partner by degrees....the condensed version sounded something like this: "Start by suggesting a nice little farm as a 'weekender', then build a shed on it, then when she says she won't live in a shed, show her some house plans to choose from!" Pretty clever, eh?

Cal and his family is setting up a farm down in Dandaragan, and is soon to erect a shed to live in while he builds a house.

Graeme (left) is my partner. We are already living in our shed in Bullsbrook which he is infill-building around us with straw bale.

Over bangers from the barbie, we fleshed out a "cunning plan" to transform Perth into a post oil ready state by 2012.

I will keep you posted on our progress as we go!

Wow!

Did you hear the news this morning? International banker Goldman Sachs has come out with a report that predicts the price of oil could rise to between $150 and $211 a barrel by October this year! (It's currently $US123 a barrel).

Check out the story here: http://www.bigpond.com/news/business/content/20080508/2238730.asp

Photo: Food Riots in Haiti

The Transport industry in Australia is predicting a crisis in transport costs and food prices that will ultimately have to be passed onto consumers.

Geologist Dale Allen Pfeiffer claims that the coming decades could see spiraling food prices and massive starvation on a global level such as never experienced before. He describes the scenario we are heading for in detail in his article "Eating Fossil Fuels" which you can see at http://www.mnforsustain.org/oil_eating_fossil_fuels_pfeiffer_d.htm

You can also view a news video on current food riots occurring now in 33 countries around the globe at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAtyjrehu94

Food production is already heavily dependent on massive fossil fuel inputs - for each calorie of food produced, nine are used - as fertilizer and pesticides, transport and of course diesel. Rising oil prices are also seeing the use of food crops for biofuels - an additional factors driving a dramatic increase in the global price of cereals, a trend which is set to intensify.

What is more, high oil prices not only influence the food system, they influence the entire economy and virtually all of its industrial, agricultural and service sectors - thousands of manufacturing, transportation, and industrial processes, all set to become more expensive.

Better get those fruit trees in now guys!!!

When I read the news lately I am absolutely flabbergasted at the incompetence displayed by our governments in the face of post oil.

They just don’t seem to get it!

Any high school kid could understand that as oil becomes less available relative to demand, it can be expected to go up in price. I’m sure you are with me so far…

Is our economy really too hot?

Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch but as fuel prices go up, wouldn’t you expect the prices of everything that takes fuel to produce would also go up? Here I’m talking particularly about food. And the other big thing affected by rising oil prices is, of course, transport. Since virtually everything we use has a transport cost associated with it, we should be seeing the prices of most things going up. And of course we are!

I’m sure most people would be able to join the dots and understand this. But, it seems, governments can’t.

In Western Australia our rising living costs are being blamed on an overheated economy. The knee-jerk reaction? Put up interest rates! Government economists are assuming that its business as usual and acting accordingly. But what we’re really seeing is the early effects of a society based around cheap and readily available energy having the rug pulled out from under it.

Local businesses hit by latest Government Policy

And I was amazed to read in today’s West Australian that the federal government is changing the rules to make it easier for other mega-grocery chains to do business in Australia. They say this is an attempt to increase competition so that food prices will be as low as possible.

What it’s really going to achieve is the wiping out of our few remaining food manufacturers. Just this week that locally owned business Mrs Mac’s Pies is suffering a blow to its viability due to competition from duplicate “home brand” pie lines introduced by Coles.

As the bite of post oil reality sinks in, and transport costs become prohibitive, we are going to be relying more and more heavily on local producers and manufacturers, and yet, here is our government putting them out of business!

Biofuels not helping

Heard also today that in the UK they have investigated rising food prices and food shortages. The UK government is reportedly embarrassed and surprised to discover that the production of biofuels has contributed significantly to the problem. Why? Because the Government themselves has promoted biofuel production and “didn’t see it coming”.

Oh, duhh!!!! It’s a no-brainer! If good agricultural land is being switched from food to fuel production, then naturally a shortage of food will be the result.

So what’s the message behind this rave?

If you are hoping that the government is going to act in time to save us all from the painful effects on our society of post oil, you may be in for a very unpleasant shock. This is one of those crucial moments in the history of humanity when it will be up to the people to rise to the occasion.

At such times, we can either create the change that’s needed, or have it forced upon us. Which will you choose?

Hi all

There are a lot of great organizations in Perth already providing top notch education in sustainable living skills...

I'm sure you know of several!

So.... can you please send me their full contact details?

We'd like to put up Perth events and workshops under our EVENTS section, as well as link to all allied groups in our DIRECTORY.

Cheers all

Meg

Post Oil Perth Administrator