The 2012 Apocalypse

Why the 2012 Apocalypse?

Why do people keep talking about an apocalypse in 2012? Why 2012? And what kind of apocalypse, anyway?

At first blush many people dismiss the idea as preposterous. And indeed, most who have predicted dire events, if not the end of the world, have usually been wrong.

This article explores many of the theories and prophecies that have contributed to the 2012 phenomenon and explain a host of non-supernatural events that threaten our world right now.

Why 2012?

The year 2012 has become rather conspicuous across many different traditions and disciplines. In fact, the year 2012 comes at us from so many different places that it is strikingly uncanny.

The most commonly referenced prediction for our demise in 2012 is the Mayan calendar. The 13th Baktun of the Mayan Long Count calendar comes to an end on December 21st, 2012.

There are a host of astrological and metaphysical predictions that tie into the Mayan calendar and 2012, too many to cite here but we will touch on some later. Of concern in those theories is the fact that the sun will be in alignment with the galactic center on December 21st, 2012.

Some scholars of the 16th century prophet Nostradamus claim that a careful reading of his writing pins 2012 as the year. This belief was bolstered by the Discovery Channel’s Lost Book of Nostradamus special, which aired in the fall of 2007, and also suggested the 2012 winter solstice as the date.

Terrence McKenna entered the 2012 fray when he drew correlations between the King Wen sequence of I Ching hexagrams and events in world history. His complex theory illustrates a “timewave” throughout the structure of the temporal universe. His mathematical system allowed him to predict a future singularity where time stops, or at least stops behaving as we think it should. That date is once again December 21st, 2012.

In the world of science, astronomers are predicting the strongest output of solar activity from the sun in 50 years to occur in 2012.[1]

The International Food Policy Research Institute is predicting worldwide food riots, due to a depletion of food stocks, to break out as early as 2010.[2]

Experts who believe our oil supply has recently peaked believe widespread blackouts, and the start of our slip into new “post-industrial stone age” may begin around 2012.[3]

In the area of global warming the “hydrate hypothesis” claims that methane expelled during the melting of hydrates will cause runaway global warming and the death of 4.5 billion people by 2012.[4]

Some believe the earth’s poles will swap places in 2012, and the earth will spin backwards, thus unleashing untold natural disaster during the transition. While that may sound far-fetched, the poles of the earth do move over time.

2012 is also the next scheduled close-call between earth and the asteroid Toutatis. Is it a coincidence the Scandinavians have built a doomsday seed bank?

And so on. Any time spent with a web browser will reveal a great deal of concern over 2012, much of it written by people, cultures, and traditions quite removed from our modern Internet-enabled world.

And to perhaps finally underscore that we are living in times when all minds are on the apocalyptic, all three major religious traditions have ardent proponents that these indeed are the last days. Many Christians, both protestant and Catholic, see troubling signs. There are Jews who wish to rebuild the temple for they believe it will trigger the arrival of the messiah. And many in Islam, such as Shiite Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, believe that the arrival of the twelfth imam and the end of the world amid global turmoil and chaos is near. In 2007 Ahmadinejad gave a series of speeches in the United States opening each session with a prayer to God to hasten the arrival of this figure.

What Kind of Apocalypse?

As to what may befall us during the year 2012, the opinions are just as varied as the number of theories and traditions pointing to the year 2012.

Some think it will be the end of the world, literally with fire, explosions, boiling seas, you name it.

Others believe destruction will visit us from space in the form of a gamma ray burst or asteroid, or even that the poles of the earth will shift resulting in cataclysmic natural disasters.

Others believe we will move into a new plane of existence.

Still others think that we will hit a technological singularity, and artificial intelligence will rapidly outpace us and replace us as the dominant “lifeform” on the planet.

What Global Crisis is Coming?

It should be apparent to many people living in the United States that the nation of 100 years ago is gone, and by the looks of it, won’t be back anytime soon. And I’m not just referring to nostalgic notions of apple pie, church socials, and fresh farms. Those things are certainly a part of our cultural shift, but what is more important is how the very structure of our government has changed, how the notion of what the government’s responsibilities are fundamentally different, and how our foreign policy increasingly seems to be not in our nation’s interest as a whole, but rather at the whim of certain few who stuff money into the pockets of politicians, one way or another.

Perhaps there is still hope for change, but for many of the changes we’re seeing in the US, the hour to act has passed. Time is up.

And the world is not off the hook either, many of the cultural and economic changes taking place in America have also found root in Europe. India and China have seen portions of their population rise in economic prominence, and while good for them, has revealed strains in world resources. We find ourselves facing upcoming food and fuel shortages. Scientists are pushing ethical boundaries with genetic cloning and the creation of human-animal hybrids. Globalization is spreading around the world, and seems poised for domination.

The world is headed for a potentially catastrophic realignment of geopolitical power. Getting there might be a rough ride and there will be casualties along the way. And where we end up might be a place that most of us don’t want to live in.

A New Assessment

We can take a moment to see where things stand in the world today. What I touch on here will talked about more thoroughly in subsequent sections, but here I present a brief assessment of items of concern.

Just in America, there is a growing sense of disenfranchisement as voters of every stripe feel their concerns are being marginalized.

In late 2007, the American public gave congress a dismal 18% approval rating.[5] President Bush didn’t fare much better with a 32% approval rating.[6] Perhaps no two issues underscore this as much as the Iraq war and the overwhelming number of illegal immigrants crossing the southern U.S. border unchecked.

Many Americans were troubled that the Democrat-controlled Congress did next to nothing about Iraq. Many Americans were also frustrated that President Bush did next to nothing to stem the tide of illegal immigrants.

There is an in increasing air of disconnection between the governed and the governing as politicians seem to speak popular partisan words on issues to get elected, but end up adopting the same platforms once in office. The impression is that Washington is really just an executive club, that money talks, and the concerns of voters don’t matter a dime, just their votes. The only dimes that matter are the ones from powerful lobbyists, think tanks, and others who hope to shape policy, or even score government contracts, for economic gain. To many, crafting law in Washington seems to be more about personal gain than national prosperity.

When 2008 Republican presidential candidate Duncan Hunter dropped out, many wondered who he would endorse. Hunter ran a campaign that focused dramatically on cutting illegal immigration and securing the homeland against terrorism. But after he left the race he shocked many by endorsing Mike Huckabee, a Republican well-known for his relaxed border stance and penchant for giving public assistance and amnesty to those here illegally. People scratched their heads. Some even ventured a theory that perhaps Huckabee promised Hunter a Cabinet position if elected.[7]

In addition to politicians who don’t seem to represent anyone who actually votes, there is also a sense that civil liberties, once America’s greatest pride, have taken a backseat to political whims. There seems to be no shortage of problems that can’t be solved through more government control of its people.

In the 2008 presidential campaign former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani ran a Republican campaign largely focused on security and terrorism. He was considered by many to be a front-runner, even though he was a Republican who supported gun control. But that wasn’t the only time Rudy put the constitution on the backburner. During the MSNBC GOP Debate Rudy claimed one of his answers to securing America was issuing a secure federal ID card. Once obtained, this federal ID card could be used to pay taxes, get a job, or most surprisingly, go online.[8]

In addition to the projected food riots by 2010 cited earlier, world food stocks have suffered a setback for the first time in years. One culprit is the rise in prosperity of previously developing nations, but perhaps a bigger culprit is the repurposing of food stock for the creation of biofuels.

In England, the notion of a human being has arguably gone downhill. As we’ll learn more in later sections, England has become home to some troubling developments. First, the country has one of the most extensive public surveillance systems on the planet. New speech laws have made it a crime to criticize certain religions. School girls, as early as 11, may obtain abortifacient contraception without parental knowledge. The government has tacitly approved the creation of genetic human-animal hybrids by rejecting measures that sought to control the technology. In the world of in vitro fertilization the concept of fatherhood has been removed completely as the procedure is now the normal way for homosexual couples to obtain children. And finally, England is first to look into creating human offspring by combining the genetic material of two men, or two women, or any other combination. Given the new work on human-animal hybrids, one doesn’t have to delve into too much absurdity to imagine what might come next. A lonely man and his dog might want to have children, and now it’s possible through science.

The powers of globalization have also contributed to the new precarious position. In America alone, the collapse of the US dollar, the derailment of US manufacturing jobs, the influx of cheap Mexican labor that fails to pay taxes yet taxes public assistance programs, are all problems exacerbated by those with global business interests who see these things as necessary steps to more personal profits. As we’ll learn later, many of the most controversial positions today’s modern governments take are often backed by the hands of those with global business interests.

A New Geopolitical Order

If you’ve not been living in a cave since the millennium you may have noticed that the world economic picture is changing. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as everyone has the right to pursue, and hopefully obtain, prosperity.

Countries such as India and China are rising in prominence. The Gulf states, long rich on oil, are increasingly becoming a world center of business. Just look at Dubai, along with China, they’ve invested billions into America’s financial institutions. This was made easier and cheaper by America’s subprime mortgage collapse.

At the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, billionaire George Soros claimed the United States is at the end of a cycle and its currency will be dumped around the world. Soros said we’re at “the end of a 60-year period of continuing credit expansion based on the dollar as the reserve currency.”

The result? The world is ready for a new economic order, and according to Nouriel Roubini, America looks like an emerging market, not an economic leader. Further sentiment was expressed by the head of Kuwait’s national bank that America needs to get used to being bought up by foreign sovereign wealth funds, in other words, foreign governments.[9]

To further complicate the world stage, as if in anticipation or in a test of US dominance, Russia and China have both announced preemptive nuclear strike policies. For Russia, this may very well entail creating mobile units with nuclear strike capabilities distributed throughout the country.

Perhaps in a time of peace this would just seem like bluster, but both Russia and China are aligned in direct opposition to the west in key hair-trigger geopolitical situations.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going since time immemorial. On one side you have the secular nation of Israel, carved out of the British Mandate after World War II, and home to many diverse groups throughout history, and home to some of the holiest sites in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. On the other side you have the Palestinians, many of which are unwilling to accept the existence of the state of Israel. It is a widely held, but false belief, that prior to Israel a sovereign nation of Palestine existed, and therefore modern Palestinians have a right to it, while Israel is squatting, but no such nation has ever existed. The name Palestine was given to a broad swath of territory within the British Mandate.

The British Mandate itself was carved from the Ottoman Empire following World War I. Under the Ottoman Empire the region was home to diverse groups, living in largely tribal communities. Jews and Arabs have lived in the area for ages.

So what we have is an area home to diverse groups, historically living in tribes, and subject to various world powers, now reacting, and fighting, over areas of individual sovereignty.

The situation is not going to improve anytime soon. Unfortunately, forces aligned against the existence of the nation of Israel include Syria and Iran. Pro-Syrian factions in Lebanon aren’t helping things either. Iran is backed by the Russians, and to some degree, the Chinese. Israel is backed by the United States, and to some extent, the nations of Europe.

The entire region is a powder keg. Iran has repeatedly stated that Israel should be wiped off the map, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad routinely declares that the “Zionist regime” will come to an end.

Iran has promised a massive retaliation if Israel or the United States attempts to bomb away its nuclear capability. Russia has stated that it would use nuclear weapons to defend itself and its allies.

Taiwan has proved itself to be a hair-trigger as well. China has repeatedly warned the United States about getting involved if a conflict breaks out over Taiwan. In fact, in 2005 a top Chinese general warned that if US weapons targeted Chinese territory or military assets, they would have no choice but to respond with nuclear weapons.[10]

A World Ripe for Conflict

So we have a world that seems ripe for conflict. As a species we are meeting and crossing ethical boundaries that were perhaps unimaginable in times of old. Millions of babies are terminated in the womb for convenience in the West, or population design in the East. Human and animal DNA is combined in laboratories resulting in living embryos that are neither fully human nor fully animal. Sexual behaviors once thought to be abnormalities are now mainstreamed and taught to schoolchildren; they are told gender is a choice. And in today’s medical miracle world, it very well is.

There also seems to be a heightened apocalyptic mindset in the modern world. Apart from 2012, the three major religious traditions have increasing numbers of adherents whispering that the end is certainly near.

And the world is watching what might very well be the decline of the Western empire. Rome is falling, again.

And in the chaos that will emerge slowly, and soon, we may see wars and horrors of biblical proportions. The end may be near, for many of us.

The Possibilities of 2012

With the world situation as it is, we can explore the many traditions, prophecies, and predictions that point to 2012 as a potential end or turning point in human history.

The End of the Mayan Long Count Calendar

The most famous of the 2012 predictions is the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar. The Mayan calendar can be pictured as a series of interlocking, concentric rotating gears. When the smallest gear completes its cycle (1 day) the next outermost gear turns. The largest “gear” in the system, the baktun, is about to complete its final tick. It is well-established by historians that the 13th baktun is to end on December 21st, 2012. There is slightly more disagreement as to whether or not this baktun is in fact the final one. Before we address that final controversy, it is important to understand when the Mayan calendar began, and how it is mapped onto our calendar.

The start date of the Mayan calendar is established through astronomical and historical sources, as well as correlating established dates of the arrival of Spanish conquistadors and the existing native Long Count dates. The start date is widely accepted to be August 11th, 3114 BC. The end date of the 13th baktun, after ticking through all the smaller “gears", is none other than December 21st, AD 2012.

Time ticks by on the Mayan calendar through a series of five units of measurement, or the five “gears” alluded to earlier. The basic element is the kin, or 1 day. From there we tick up the other levels:

• 1 Kin = 1 day
• 1 Uinal = 20 Kin (20 days)
• 1 Tun = 18 Uinal (360 days)
• 1 Katun = 20 Tuns (about 19 years)
• 1 Baktun = 20 Katuns (about 394 years)

To take a random date, such as February 5th,1983, the Mayan date would be 12.18.9.12.8, with baktuns on the left and kins on the far right. December 21st, 2012, would be written as 13.0.0.0.0.

The Mayans count from zero, so the first thirteen baktuns would be denoted in the digits 0 through 12.

Using the five digit arrangement shown above, time ticks by on the Mayan calendar from right to left, starting with individual kins, which after ticking by 20 times would tick one Uinal and then reset to zero. These two cycles would continue and after 18 Uinals one Tun would click by. The iterations would continue with completions of each smaller cycle resulting in a tick of the next larger cycle up.

Some say that the baktun cycle actually ends at 19, and thus the December 2012 date is just the end of one great cycle, and the beginning of another, the 13th baktun. This is contradicted by the existence of creation myths, and the Mayan belief that the previous creation cycles lasted precisely 13 baktuns. John Major Jenkins, perhaps one of the most well-known students of the Mayan tradition, has the following to say about the thirteen versus twenty baktun cycle in his book Maya Cosmogenesis 2012:

Schele’s argument that a twenty-baktun cycle had precedence over the thirteen-baktun cycle is not well founded, confusing what one seventh-century Maya ruler said about the nature of the Long Count with what the original creators of it intended. A repeating thirteen-baktun cycle is implied wherever Creation monuments have been found-for example, at Coba and Quirigua. Rather than looking at Classic Period examples to define the nature of the Long Count, we need to look carefully at who created the Long Count system, and where and when it arose.

Jenkins refers to ancient Mayan creation monuments as existence of the 13 baktun creation cycle. There have been four previous creation cycles according to the Maya, and we are nearing the end of the fifth. The total length of time for all five is roughly 25,000 years.

Jenkins also points out some more spooky astronomical synchronicities. The earth, as it rotates on its axis, has a distinct wobble. The wobble slowly changes and completes a cycle over a period of about 25,000 years. This wobble changes the angular alignment of the earth with the galactic plane. At the end of this cycle the solstice sun will align exactly with the galactic center. The end of the Mayan calendar, and the fifth cycle, and the date of galactic alignment with the solstice sun is Decmeber 21st, 2012.

In his article “The World Age Cosmology of the Maya Calendar End-Date in AD 2012″[11] he states:

The end-date of the 13-baktun cycle of the Long Count marks the precession-caused alignment of the solstice sun with the Milky Way, and based upon evidence in other Maya traditions including the Maya ballgame, king accession rituals, and the Maya creation mythology, there is every reason to believe that this was intentional.

So to many observers of the Mayan calendar, its end date perfectly coincides with an extremely rare astronomical event. Jenkins goes on in the same article to state that other civilizations have associated the solstice-galaxy alignment with major earth events:

Egyptian cosmology describes a Zero Time, or Zep Tepi, of 10,800 B.C. during which the gods reigned supreme and the foundations of Egyptian civilization were laid. This period indicates the previous time that the solstice axis was lining up with the galaxy. The ancient Vedic material with its World Age doctrine of the Yugas also points to a time some 13,000 years ago that was a Golden Age of light. Specifically, Vedic astronomy describes the cycling of the sun around a celestial origin point called Vishnunahbi (this would be the apparent motion of the sun around the zodiac resulting from precession), and implies that we are now approaching a turnaround point.

The coincidence, or synchronicities as some would say, between the Mayan calendar, galactic precession, and events here on earth is quite startling. But the Mayan scholars aren’t the only ones portending great change in 2012.

Did Nostradamus Predict Doom in 2012?

Several respected Nostradamus scholars believe that the famous seer did in fact predict World War III around this time.

One of the more active proponents of a Nostradamus-predicted World War III in 2012 is Dr. Michael Rathford, author of the book The Nostradamus Code: World War III 2008-2012.

In his book, Dr. Rathford claims the between the years 2008 and 2012, World War III will erupt and transform the world forever. Nuclear bombs will be dropped, the Catholic Church will be ravaged and destroyed and the antichrist will arise.

Specifically, in Dr. Rathford’s analysis[12], war erupts in the middle east, ostensibly after Iran, or a similar nation, decides to drop a nuclear bomb on Israel. Israel responds in kind. Europe then interferes to protect precious oil supplies in this era when resources and food are so critical. This causes Iran, or the middle-eastern nation, to attack Europe with nuclear weapons, most of which land in Italy. The Catholic church is ravaged, and the Pope is forced to flee into hiding. The stage is set for the rise of the antichrist.

Rathford continues his depiction of the height of the war with volcanoes, earthquakes, floods and droughts, especially affecting the United States, which will bankrupt itself during this time.

The antichrist rises to power in the middle east, taking over Iran.

Rathford completes his cataclysmic war with a helping of the following, in chronological order:

• A communication breakdown between two superpowers leads to cataclysmic consequences.
• A third world leader causes significant problems.
• A war simulation in England backfires and results in real-world action.
• The US electorate system fails to produce a president, and civil war is narrowly averted through a new election.
• Rathford eventually wraps up his analysis of Nostradamus by stating that the current world will fall away, and a new enlightened world will take its place.

It’s important to understand that this is just one interpretation of the predictions of Nostradamus. Other students of the famed seer, such as John Hogue, don’t predict such a detailed turn of events. Hogue, however, has been on record saying that a third world war is predicted for the next decade.[13]

In October of 2007 The History Channel aired a program entitled “The Lost Book of Nostradamus."[14] In this two hour documentary the idea is put forth that a lost book has been discovered, and the illustrations depicted therein warn of great cataclysm, even the end of the world, for the winter solstice in 2012.

The show follows both the history and content of an obscure collection of illustrations, long hidden in the National Library of Rome. The book was inscribed with Michel de Notredame, or Nostradamus.

Within the book were several watercolor illustrations depicting strange events, and often symbolic objects.

The show claims the book was tucked away within the Vatican until such time as it should be discovered, and its secrets revealed.

The show interprets one picture toward the end of the book as showing the alignment between the solstice sun and the galactic center, scheduled for December 21st, 2012.

Ultimately, the show cannot, with certainty, attribute the book to Nostradamus, and ultimately, their interpretations of the images are just speculation.

Did Nostradamus predict the end in 2012? It is hard to say he did. But with all things Nostradamus, until the event happens, the prescience of his knowledge won’t be revealed.

Timewave Zero

Timewave Zero is a theory that suggests time, or rather the novelty of existence within time, follows a series of self-similar patterns, or a fractal. This timewave, so to speak, has exhibited a fractal series of peaks and valleys, and through calculation, reaches a singularity in 2012.

Terrence McKenna is credited with forming the Timewave Zero theory based on his correlations between the King Wen sequence of I Ching hexagrams and events in world history.

The theory is somewhat difficult to grasp, but the key points are that the I Ching, when graphed, displays an uncanny similarity to the novelty of events throughout human history. Furthermore, this pattern shows up again and again when applied to smaller sections of time, such as the history of a civilization, or even the events of your day.

McKenna himself did not predict doomsday in 2012, but rather thought that some monumental event would forever transform humanity.

Christian Prophecy

The world of Christian Prophecy has grown very crowded over the last two thousand years ago. The earliest Christians looked to the Apocalypse of the Apostle John, written in his exile on the Island of Patmos after divine revelation. This mysterious book is the most comprehensive biblical treatment on matters of the end, but additional prophecies appear in several books of the old testament, and also in the eschatological discourse of Jesus in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

No prominent Christian groups predict with any sort of certainty the return of Christ in 2012. But nearly all traditions look around the world today, behold the abominations therein, and wonder if we are nearing the end.

In the world of Catholic eschatology, which has been studying the Scripture for two thousand years, there exists some variation in beliefs or predictions regarding the end times. While the basic premise is the same, when one tries to pluck out very precise interpretations variations do occur. There is, however, some commonly believed events that will precipitate the end of history(from EWTN, full note at[15]):

The Catechism provides us with a general order of events at the End [CCC 673-677]. Chronologically they are,

1. the full number of the Gentiles come into the Church

2. the “full inclusion of the Jews in the Messiah’s salvation, in the wake of the full number of the Gentiles” (#2 will follow quickly on, in the wake of, #1)

3. a final trial of the Church “in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth.” The supreme deception is that of the Antichrist.

4. Christ’s victory over this final unleashing of evil through a cosmic upheaval of this passing world and the Last Judgment.

As Cardinal Ratzinger recently pointed out (in the context of the message of Fátima), we are not at the end of the world. In fact, the Second Coming (understood as the physical return of Christ) cannot occur until the full number of the Gentiles are converted, followed by “all Israel.”

Approved Catholic mystics (Venerables, Blessed and Saints, approved apparitions) throw considerable light on this order, by prophesying a minor apostasy and tribulation toward the end of the world, after which will occur the reunion of Christians. Only later will the entire world fall away from Christ (the great apostasy) and the personal Antichrist arise and the Tribulation of the End occur.

The books Prophecy for Today by Edward Connor, and Vincent Miceli’s The Antichrist are two good sources for end times discernment.

In more recent time the notion of a Rapture, a great tribulation, and a thousand year reign of Christ on earth has become popular. This theory, largely promoted by John Nelson Darby in the 19th century, is relatively new given the two thousand year history of the Church.

This idea has been expanded by many evangelicals, with some discerning very specific predictions based on the Scriptures in Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation. For example, Joel Rosenberg, author of The Ezekiel Option, believes the war of Gog and Magog, as spoke of in Ezekiel, will come to fruition as Russia and Iran attacking Israel.

The most comprehensive (and popular) of these scenarios was illustrated in the wildly popular Left Behind series, and similar series such as The Christ Clone Trilogy. Both of these series start off with the Rapture of Christians into heaven and a seven year period of tribulation here on earth. The Antichrist rises to power, deceives man, and triggers the return of Christ who reigns for a thousand years.

Despite the differences between older Christian eschatology and more recent interpretation, there are several consistencies within all Christian traditions, namely a great deception caused by the Antichrist that leads many souls astray, a trial of ultimate evil, and the return of Christ.

An excellent treatment of the end times is achieved in the novel Father Elijah by Michael D. O’Brien. The novel follows a Catholic priest who is a convert from Judaism, and his role in the final days. It is a beautiful work of literature.

Peak Oil

Perhaps the most staggering of all scenarios, and by far the one most realized in today’s daily headlines, is the notion of peak oil.

Peak oil is the idea that worldwide oil reserves are limited, our use of them has skyrocketed over the last century, we’re running out, and as we do, civilization is going to collapse. While the complete and total collapse of industrial civilization may seem preposterous, the peak oil theorists have done their homework. This is one idea that is actually unfolding in today’s headlines and has already impacted your life. Up for debate among peak oil theorists is when exactly the peak occurred or will occur, how fast society can replace its source of energy (if it even has time), and what the ramifications on our lives will be.

The sources of oil are drying up. Worldwide oil production, depending on the source of data, has either just peaked, or is about to peak. According to Kenneth S. Deffeyes, oil production stopped growing in 2005[16]. But oil consumption hasn’t. Basic economics states that when demand for a product rises, yet supplies don’t, the price of the product will go up. The price of oil has skyrocketed to heights never before seen. Even adjusted for inflation, the price of oil is higher than it has ever been. For most of the 20th century oil maintained a 2008 inflation-adjusted price between $20 and $35 per barrel. In the late 1970s oil briefly ran over $100 per barrel in 2008 dollars. But over the last few years prices have soared, with oil hitting $145 in July 2008[17].

Oil consumption is greater now than ever before. World population is greater now than ever before. These two items combine to form quite a problem. Consider what has happened to oil prices just over the last couple of years as supplies have just peaked. What will happen to the price of oil when supplies are half of what they are today, yet consumption and demand are even greater? If just a small setback in supply can have shocks on the price, what about dramatic setbacks in supply? Just passing the peak in oil will have enormous ramifications in all aspects of life.

Everything is Tied to Oil

You might not care about the price of oil. Maybe you don’t even drive a car, or you work at home, or you live in the city and walk everywhere you need to go. In our modern society, everything is tied to oil. Matt Savinar, who runs the site Life After the Oil Crash, points out quite well how everything we do in this modern world is tied to petroleum. The vast majority of our food supplies are subject to pesticides and fertilizers that come from oil. They are harvested using machines that not only run on oil, but nearly all of their parts are manufactured (and the raw materials mined!) with the aid of oil. Food is packaged and shipped to your supermarket, often across thousands of miles, using oil-powered transport. Savinar successfully makes the case that modern medicine, water distribution, and national defense are all powered by oil. Plastics? Yes. Computers? Yes. Ironically, even alternative fuel implements such as solar panels and windmills rely heavily on a traditional petroleum-based manufacturing process.[18]

The Collapse of Civilization: Blackouts in 2012

So if the engine that powers the world is breaking down, what happens? In short, a lot of bad things could happen. In a paper entitled “The Peak of World Oil Production and the Road to the Olduvai Gorge,” Richard Duncan describes the lifetime of industrial civilization as being limited to 100 years. For us, the 100 years began roughly in 1930, and will come to a dark closure around 2030. The Olduvai theory predicts widespread, permanent blackouts to begin in 2012.[19]

To envision what this new oil-parched world might look like, Savinar quotes journalist Paul Salopek[20]:

…the consequences would be unimaginable. Permanent fuel shortages would tip the world into a generations-long economic depression. Millions would lose their jobs as industry implodes. Farm tractors would be idled for lack of fuel, triggering massive famines. Energy wars would flare. And carless suburbanites would trudge to their nearest big box stores, not to buy Chinese made clothing transported cheaply across the globe, but to scavenge glass and copper wire from abandoned buildings.

2012: What do I do?

2012 may come and go like any other year, but odds are the amount of turmoil in the world will continue to increase. Joining a cult, freaking out, or selling all of your worldly posessions is probably a rash and paranoid move. However, being calm, smart, and prepared is a good idea. Without regard to 2012, or any of the possibilities listed here, every family should be prepared for natural disasters, extended power outages, and a lack of government services.

NOTE FROM AUTHOR:
At a later time I plan to add more to this section regarding:

Food Shortages

The belief in a Technological Singularity

The belief in the arrival of extraterrestrials to save us…

The belief in the arrival of extraterrestrials as demons in disguise….

Please check back soon.

Notes

[1] “Solar Storm Warning” by Dr. Tony Phillips, March 10th 2006, NASA Release
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/10mar_stormwarning.htm

[2] “Food Riots of the 21st Century", January 6th 2008, Mail & Guardian Online
http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?articleid=328941

[3] “Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash” by Matt Savinar
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/Index.html

[4] “Over 4.5 Billion people could die from Global Warming-related causes by 2012″ by John Stokes, The Canadian
http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2007/01/08/01291.html

[5] “Congress Approval Rating Matches Historical Low” by Jeffery M. Jones, August 21st, 2007, Gallup.com

[6] “No Improvement in Job Scores for Bush or Congress” by Lydia Sadd, January 10th, 2008, Gallup.com

[7] “Hunter endorses Huck…heads explode” by Michelle Malkin, January 23rd, 2008, MichelleMalkin.com
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/01/23/hunter-endorses-huckheads-explode/

[8] Rudy Giuliani on the MSNBC GOP Debate, January 24th, 2008, in Florida

[9] style=’mso-spacerun:yes’> “US in role of wounded giant at Davos” by Mark Landler, January 23rd, 2008, International Herald Tribune

[10] “Top Chinese general warns US over attack” by Alexandra Harney, July 14th, 2005, FT.com

[11] “The World Age Cosmology of the Maya Calendar End-Date in AD 2012 and its Basis in a Rare Astronomical Alignment of the Solstice Sun with the Milky Way Galaxy", by John Major Jenkins, June 1999
http://www.grahamhancock.com/forum/JenkinsJM2-p1.htm

[12] The Nostradamus Code: World War III 2008 – 2012, by Dr. Michael Rathford, 2006, Truth Revealed

[13] “Alliances of the Third World’s War", by John Hogue, February 1st, 2002, Hogue Prophecy Bulletin
http://www.hogueprophecy.com/prophecy/axisofevil.htm

[14] “The Lost Book of Nostradamus", October 2007, The History Channel
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=mini_home&mini_id=56121

[15] “Endtimes, Millennium, Rapture", EWTN.com
http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/endtimes.htm

[16]
“Oil Production, Oil Price", Kenneth S. Deffeyes, May 27th, 2008
http://www.princeton.edu/hubbert/current-events.html

[17]
“Inflation Adjusted Oil Price Chart", InflationData.com, April 2008
http://www.inflationdata.com/inflation/images/charts/Oil/Inflation_Adj_Oil_Prices_Chart.htm

[18]
“Life After the Oil Crash,” Matt Savinar, 2008
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/Index.html

[19]
“THE PEAK OF WORLD OIL PRODUCTION AND THE ROAD TO THE OLDUVAI GORGE", Richard Duncan, 2000
http://dieoff.org/page224.htm

[20]
“Life After the Oil Crash,” Matt Savinar, 2008
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/Index.html