Energy, Population Growth, and Transition

Along the lines of a massive energy crisis that comes after the peak in production, I believe imagine that localization would return, both in economic and social terms. I have been writing about this sort of situation for a few years now, seeing a change coming in the future. But that collapse can open the way to a rebirth. Our society has become accustomed to quick fixes and convenience without great concern for sources or environmental impacts. Population growth has been tied to energy availability, with a boom coming during the beginning of the industrial revolution.

The problem with that boom is that eventually a bust will follow, just as in economics. Since we know that we are past peak oil, we can also consider that we are beyond peak coal, and probably past peak natural gas. I believe that this is true as evident in the methods of mining and extraction used today. Strip-mining for coal creates massive devastation on the environment, leaving little more than wasteland behind, a far cry from early mining methods. Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) for natural gas brings massive pollution and possibly geological instability to regions where this practice is active (increasing at a massive rate). Fracking also destroys many local water sources, leaving the environment incapable of sustaining life. If there resources were plentiful, would we be destroying the world trying to extract every last bit possible?

What we need is to proactively address this situation by reducing reliance upon those resources while we can, before a collapse of the availability of those resources brings our society to a grinding halt, as we saw in 1973 Oil Embargo (caused by economics related to oil producers' lack of faith after the end of the Gold Standard, rather than by a lack of supply). Reducing reliance upon foreign resources can being back independence if a similar situation occurs again. Without a transition to sustainable energy, we are oil addicts at the mercy of the suppliers.