coming soon: end of the world as we know it?

NEWS Among competing doomsday theories gaining headlines, debate over oil supplies is pulling ahead in terms of urgency. Some experts predict a collapse in the global economy as early as 2020 because of soaring oil prices. Whether or not this happens depends a lot on peak oil supplies. This has become the media catchphrase for all sorts of oil supply problems, including the rate at which oil is discovered. It is generally trending downward, with arguments only over the steepness of the slide. However, for countries like the Cook Islands, higher oil prices come at the same time as warnings of more intense cyclone seasons. Alternatives to mass tourism could include virtual tourism as air travel once again shrinks in market size to the rich and adventuresome. Could we even see the return of low-flying, island-hopping behemoths like the old TEAL flying boats, skipping lightly along little white tops, spanking up 30 foot high plumes of lagoon water? Romantic notions, no doubt. As the blogsites below warn, the reality could be quite different and much harsher. Peak Oil Primer InterstellaOverdrive Oil Wars Alaron PeakOil.org PeakOil.com Die Off The Oil Drum Sustainablog The Energy Blog From the Wilderness Peak Energy Global Public Media OPEC Production John Herold Energy Bulletin Mobjectivist Wolf at the Door Petroleum World Oil Depletion Analysis Centre Energy Info Administration Articles by Matthew Simmons Hubbert's Peak Explained Peak Oil Explained Life After the Oil Crash Oil Crash Breaking News With apologies to the blogroll author from whose blogsite this list was copied and whose credit was misplaced. And if that is not enough, check out the following sites on 2011 and 2012, just five or six years from now, when the next major solar flares are expected. Sun about to enter new cycle of solar storms Backward Sunspot Heralds Next Solar Cycle Understanding our angry sun Future's Bright, Gimme My Shades A flare for observing the sun Satellite protection plan could backfire Solar eruptions can soon be seen in Stereo Solar observatories get new launch date SDSC Helps Scientists Accurately Simulate Sun's Corona Geocaching, space weather and an astronomy event LANL on space weather study team