“The primary fear we entertain today is that our “slaves” (machines) may be about to run out of “food” (oil) and our intricate civilization will come sputtering to a stop. There are lots of arguments
about this, with wide differences of opinion about when the oil will run out, how fast we are using it up, and how much unknown oil remains hidden in the Earth’s crust. It really doesn’t matter. No one argues that the oil will not, in fact, run out sooner or later. It will. Certainly no one disputes that the Arabs, who have the largest reserves left in the world, are capable of rationing our supply or cutting it off if they like. They already have. And as for the United States’ policy of developing the north slope of Alaska as quickly as possible in order to become energy “self sufficient,”that’s like noticing that the gas tank is nearly empty and flooring the accelerator so you can get to a service station before you run out. It’s not very smart.” – Dr. Bruce Clayton, “Life After Doomsday” (1979)