If the oil supplies became exhausted, the effect on people lifestyles would be dramatic. To begin people would begin to panic and this would lead to them worrying about how they were going to feed themselves and their families, and also how they would get about, to and from work, from school etc. Without any power, looting would begin which would lead to a shortage of goods as there would be no way to transport these goods to stores. The oil would not be able to be used by the emergency services such as the police, fire trucks or the military. Obviously, production of any products made from petroleum would cease. This would affect plastic, polyester and fertilizers and pesticides. All airports would cease to be and there would be widespread death due to medical treatment not being administered in time. The country would eventually consist of small community pockets and people would be left to fend for themselves in many ways that they would not be used to. People would need to access fresh water and would also need to grow their own crops and produce their own livestock for food. Hunger would set in certain areas where the water supply was low, or the land was not fertile enough for mass production of agricultural products. Urban areas would become less and less populated, as people would seek the rural life to feed themselves. Money would no longer be in existence as the global economy, reliance on oil production, would have crashed and people would become dependent on a bartering system. Coal production and coal-powered factories would come back into existence and this would have a detrimental effect on the environment. Because of all of these factors, it is important for us to research and find new energy resources.
