Civilization as we know it is coming to an end soon.
This is not the wacky conclusion of a religious cult,
but rather the result of diligent analysis
sourced by hard data and..
the scientists who study global “Peak Oil”…
and related geopolitical events. 

So who are these nay-sayers who claim the sky is falling?
Conspiracy fanatics? Nostradamus fans? Apocalypse Bible prophecy readers? 
To the contrary, they are some of the most respected, highest paid geologists, physicists,
petroleum engineers, and investment bankers in the world. 
These are logical, rational, and conservative people..
and they are absolutely terrified about the situation. This is why it’s so scary.

The situation is so dire, even George W. Bush’s Energy Adviser, Matthew Simmons,
has acknowledged “The situation is desperate.
This is the world’s biggest serious question.”
In an August 2003 interview, Mr. Simmons was asked…
if it was time for Peak Oil to become part of the public policy debate.
He responded:

“It is past time. As I have said, the experts and politicians have no Plan B to fall back on.
If energy peaks, particularly while 5 of the world’s 6.5 billion people have little or no use of modern energy,
it will be a tremendous jolt to our economic well-being and to our heath - greater than anyone could ever imagine.”

When asked if there is a solution, Simmons responded:

“I don’t think there is one. The solution is to pray. Under the best of circumstances,
if all prayers are answered, there will be no crisis for maybe two years. After that it’s a certainty.”

Simmons’ message has remained consistent. At a May 2004 conference on Peak Oil,
he predicted oil will be priced at $182 per barrel in the near future - over five times its current price.

To put Simmons’ predictions in perspective, consider the fact
Osama Bin Laden feels $200 is a “fair price” for a barrel of oil.

The phrase, “politics makes strange bed-fellows,” doesn’t quite do this one justice.

The likely effects of such radically high oil prices are hard to over-dramatize.
When controlled for inflation, oil prices have never exceeded the $80 per barrel mark,
which they broke during the 1979 oil crisis.

The result was a worldwide recession second only to the Great Depression in severity.

If $80 oil can slam the economy into a severe recession,
one can only imagine the damage $200+ oil is going to inflict.

Simmons isn’t the only reputable source sounding the alarm. 
According to Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham:

“America faces a major energy supply crisis over the next two decades.
The failure to meet this challenge will threaten our nation’s economic prosperity,
compromise our national security, and literally alter the way we lead our lives.”

The statements of Vice President Dick Cheney have been equally alarming. 
In late 1999, Cheney stated:

“By some estimates, there will be an average of two percent annual growth in global oil demand over the years ahead,
along with, conservatively, a three-percent natural decline in production from existing reserves.”

Cheney ended on a disturbing note,

“That means by 2010 we will need on the order of an additional 50 million barrels a day.”

This is equivalent to six times the amount of oil produced per day by Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading oil producer.

A report commissioned by Cheney and released in 2001 was no less rosy:

“The most significant difference between now and a decade ago..
is the extraordinarily rapid erosion of spare capacities at critical segments of energy chains.
Today, shortfalls appear to be endemic.
Among the most extraordinary of these losses of spare capacity is in the oil arena.” 

In May 2001, President George W. Bush himself stated,
“What people need to hear loud and clear is that we’re running out of energy in America.”