The Charts Don’t Lie, Something’s Got to Give!

Ken over at MSB put up a post last week on Population Bottleneck Motivates Survival Preparedness which got me to thinking about this topic again. While I like to pride myself on NOT posting negative information here at reThinkSurvival.com–I did take aim at fear-mongering sites and vowed to stop paying any attention to them not long ago–I feel compelled to show you the following charts. I would imagine that you’ve seen similar charts elsewhere in the past, however, I still feel it’s vitally important to be reminded of the road we’re on from time to time.

Pleaes choose to take more than a split second to look at the following charts (and maybe even ponder what they’re saying to us)…

World Oil Consumption ourfiniteworld.com	World Energy Usage hydropole.ch
Money Vs Gold Standard bullionvault.com	US National Debt (anticipated thru 2020) futuretimeline.net
World Life Expectancy filipspagnoli.wordpress.com	World Population Growth subdude-site.com

While each of these charts depicts a different topic–energy, money, population–they all have one thing in common: they’re ALL exponential-growth charts! Or very close to it. I hear you saying, “Uh-oh, a math lesson is coming!” No, we’re not going to head back to basic math class. After all, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at these charts and conclude that SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE. Consider any of the charts and the story is the same… the recent spike (in the timeframe we’re currently living in) signals an unsustainable change in our way of life.

I have to admit that some charts are a bit misleading at first glance. Take the ”World Oil Consumption” chart, for example. Obviously, this chart cannot be anything but relatively flat until we started removing oil from the ground AND had the machines that consumed it. Regardless, the spike is disconcerting to say the least. The same misleading statement might be said about the “World Energy Usage” chart too as it was only until recently that we had the infrastructure in place to consume these vast energy resources.

I might also point out the “US National Debt” chart for a moment. This topic is on most people’s minds recently and especially with the presidential election coming up. Of all the potential current problems we face this one may be the biggest and most glaring problem yet. I’m not even sure how to expand upon the chart… it should be disconcerting enough to look at. Some people believe that we can put a stop to this trend, I don’t. I think that once the “ball gets rolling” so-to-speak–and it has–that’s a lot of momentum to stop, let alone reverse.

On the other hand, charts like the “World Life Expectancy” one might indicate a very good trend as a result of advances in modern sanitation and medicine; however, the spike is definitely a drastic change from the norm. Maybe it can be sustained, maybe it can’t. Likewise, the “World Population Growth” chart roughly mirrors these advances but is more likely due to modern agricultural. The question, therefore, is: what happens if modern agriculture fails us in some way? Or, what if there’s a major world-wide drought? Or, what happens if there is a major population bottleneck?

There’s only one answer: life as we know it–and the charts along with it–reverse and everything goes to hell in a hand-basket very quick. There’s just no other “nice” way to put it. Now, I’m not saying that we immediately revert back to a hunting/gathering mentality and we all throw rocks at each other. Not at all. But it is obvious that the direction and pace of life that were currently on cannot go on and up forever. Something’s got to give.