Uh, we did see it coming.
Oil companies have been saying since the '70s they hit peak oil long ago. (Peak oil means that while they might know where it is, it costs more to get it than it returns. So if they have gotten all the "easy" oil, production has peaked. Because there is no more to increase supply. Even if there are known deep sea fields etc. it will stay there until the profit ratio changes. Scientist might say there is plenty of oil left in the world. That does not mean any company will dig it up and hand it to me, not cheaply. And you can bet the last of it will be going to the military for population control, not to me. And not to the trucks that bring me my food.)
In what 1995 1996? The president of Shell Oil released a report saying they had no new significant fields and didn't expect to find any, ever.
We don't like to hear what they are saying. Investors don't want to hear it.
Would you invest in Shell when they are telling the truth. Or invest in the competition who is telling you what you want to hear?
How long would it take for Shell to shut up and tow the line to get investment back? (Which they did.)
Would the public vote for a leader who says "Hey buddy, we're screwed." or one that says "Relax man! It's A-OK."
Humans don't react to warnings. They react to pain. Now that it's too late for warnings and the pain is here we will change. Sure it would have been better to do it when we still had the resources to ease the pain. But we don't do things that way.
Is it possible that our leaders know exactly what they are doing? (I doubt it!) Are they allowing the price of gas to climb artificially so we will be more inclined to change before it is truly too late?
If they said "Listen up! We will keep gas cheap until 2025. But that's it. The world will run out of gas in the summer of 2025. And civilization as we know it will stop. So get your act together now." Would we? No! We would drive our cheap gasoline cars until the summer of 2025. And when the pumps went dry we'd say "WTF?"
Most of the world including myself and half of the US population do believe that the U.S.A is in Iraq to control the oil supply. There simply is no other logical explanation. But I'm ok with that. That's how life works. In all of human history it has always been that the guy with the biggest gun controls the resources. I see no reason to now label the USA as evil or selfish when all of humanity has been doing the same thing since the beginning. In fact the USA would be completely insane to not try and guarantee as much supply as it can for as long as it can. Especially in the face of intense growing competition from China.
This in no way diminishes or insults the efforts of the troops on the ground. They are defending their country and civilization. Their way of life. There is no shame in that.
Even if politicians MUST lie. Because the public does not want to hear the truth.
But what might be done to acquire oil supply is only a band aid. When we are truly starving I have no doubt environmental concerns will be brushed aside and we will drill in protected areas including Antarctica. Where for decades all the super powers have maintained giant "research" facilities. Some of which are big enough to house thousands of "researchers" who research nothing more than maintaining the facility until it is time to drill.
So good. There is another decade or two. But the end will come.
And remember Saudi Arabia refuses to tell the world how much they have left. They say lots. They offer no proof. They might run dry tomorrow.
All of the solutions to maintaining our lifestyle as is are limited or ludicrous.
We must also accept that we simply have no real need to drive so much. Why is there not a push to build high density housing in industrial areas so tens of thousand of people don't have to commute from the burbs? Why do we all need a cookie cutter house with a cookie cutter lawn soaking up water, needing more roads and sidewalks? Using more agricultural land and municipal resources and driving up taxes?
Why is there not a neighborhood garden on top of every apartment building so we don't have to ship vegetables from half a world away? I work in a food warehouse in Alberta. This "fresh" produce comes from South America (Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina) China and California. Pork from American feed lots.
Until we change how we burn our resources we will burn them until there is nothing left.
But this is a good thing. The change will be difficult. But we will do it or die.
Generations after us and the planet as a whole will be better off. Hopefully they remember the catastrophe that is about to hit us, and care for the planet better than we did.
The good news is we will be healthier pedaling our bicycles to work.
What do you think of this?
http://www.kawasaki.ca/home.php?l=en&mpl=7
I think it is perfect for city use.
We won't need air bags when there are no more SUVs.
My 4x4 has been parked for a year.
I only use it when the snow is too deep for my 55mpg dirt bike.
IT is more grim. 
