There are others(Peak Minerals, Peak Phosphorus, Peak Uranium), but they're expected to happen later. All of these have potential to be a very serious problem. Which do you think happens first?
6 problems in the future
- Thread starter rainforests1
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I voted for income equality, as I assume that it includes other socioeconomic factors. Issues with the population pyramid being one of them.
Of course, this all depends on what parts of the world we are talking about. Fuel shortage may not be an issue that necessarily will cripple or even affect the more developed countries, or parts of developed countries, as they gradually phase it out for more renewable sources, but I've seen it being a major problem for countries where the majority depend on traditional fuel for their everyday consumption. Water issues isn't something that I'm 100% sure about, but I can faintly recall that USA had some issues with water shortage in the drier parts of the country, and most of us are aware of the climate changes which cause the now quite arid parts of the world to become even drier. When it comes to debt, well, from what I understand they are about as valid as there is anything to gain from collecting it. Maybe I have too much faith in the goodness of people, but I can see debts being cleared, if it's 100% sure that they never are going to get repaid anyway.
As mentioned, different parts of the world will face their own problems.
Of course, this all depends on what parts of the world we are talking about. Fuel shortage may not be an issue that necessarily will cripple or even affect the more developed countries, or parts of developed countries, as they gradually phase it out for more renewable sources, but I've seen it being a major problem for countries where the majority depend on traditional fuel for their everyday consumption. Water issues isn't something that I'm 100% sure about, but I can faintly recall that USA had some issues with water shortage in the drier parts of the country, and most of us are aware of the climate changes which cause the now quite arid parts of the world to become even drier. When it comes to debt, well, from what I understand they are about as valid as there is anything to gain from collecting it. Maybe I have too much faith in the goodness of people, but I can see debts being cleared, if it's 100% sure that they never are going to get repaid anyway.
As mentioned, different parts of the world will face their own problems.
Natural gas:two of the three sources in Wikipedia's site mention 2020 as the worldwide peak, and one mentions 2030. I expect 2020 to be accurate, with production in the US falling before that.
Coal:Richard Heinberg mentions coal's net energy yield dropping below 1 possibly in the 2020's, making it useless as an energy source.
Peak Oil:expected within two years but a major discovery could change that. Mexico and Russia are possible big sources of shale oil so I'd look out for that. This is the one I think will effect us first.
Peak Water:Wikipedia's article on Peak Water is very pessimistic. I'd say 2020's for many countries, but others will suffer before that(Gaza is one possible example). China, India, and the United States are three of the countries mentioned(not surprisingly, those with large populations).
Debt:I believe countries default when debt continues to pile up. Many countries have debt problems, and this will get worse if the world economy suffers again. It's hard to predict this one.
Income inequality:I expect this problem to continue to get worse. I expect it to become serious next decade but not the next few years.
Coal:Richard Heinberg mentions coal's net energy yield dropping below 1 possibly in the 2020's, making it useless as an energy source.
Peak Oil:expected within two years but a major discovery could change that. Mexico and Russia are possible big sources of shale oil so I'd look out for that. This is the one I think will effect us first.
Peak Water:Wikipedia's article on Peak Water is very pessimistic. I'd say 2020's for many countries, but others will suffer before that(Gaza is one possible example). China, India, and the United States are three of the countries mentioned(not surprisingly, those with large populations).
Debt:I believe countries default when debt continues to pile up. Many countries have debt problems, and this will get worse if the world economy suffers again. It's hard to predict this one.
Income inequality:I expect this problem to continue to get worse. I expect it to become serious next decade but not the next few years.
Those countries with a good public transportation system won't feel the effects of peak oil very much at least in the beginning, but those countries with poor public transportation systems(the United States) will suffer horrendously. Because of globalization many countries will suffer greatly if the United States goes through serious problems. I agree that some are regional problems, but peak oil certainly isn't.
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