It seems that the upward trend of oil prices has lots of people talking. Robert Kiyosaki has some interesting thoughts on the coming oil crisis. One such thought that struck me:
The problem today is that oil companies are too short-sighted, the environmentalists too far-sighted, and politicians only concerned with being elected. As a result, there will be a gap between the end of oil and a conversion to less destructive forms of energy. In this gap, all hell may break loose.
In The End of Suburbia (website), they talk that the coversion away from oil-based energy sources will happen at a community level, not so much on a world-wide basis. Could you ban together with your neighbors to get a solar array built to provide energy for the community? Neighbor disputes about grass height turn into disputes on electricity use and how many lights are needed to landscape the front yard. A brave new world indeed.