What do you think?
Rate this book
Peak Oil Survival: Preparation for Life After Gridcrash
Oil and energy are not a limitless resource, and someday the supply will be depleted. Peak Oil Survival shows readers how to plan for the how to survive and thrive when the food, transport, and energy industries sputter out. Author Aric McBay gives an essential crash course complete with clear, simple instructions and easy-to-read diagrams. Peak Oil Survival will explain how people can protect their families in the event of a crisis and live comfortably off the grid.
102 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2006
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 15, 2013
It's interesting to read this as an exercise. It is a book that is less for reading now than for having later, when you need to know, for instance, how to dig a latrine, how to disinfect water, how to cook with the sun. It doesn't cover how to make the transition, particularly, nor does it forecast chaos and riots and post-apocalyptic Reiver bands pillaging their way through the suburbs, which is kind of refreshing in literature of this type. Buy it, tuck it away on your shelf, and hope to Hell you'll never need it.
February 23, 2008
This is the published counterpart to Aric McBay's fanastic website. He provides a brief, but adequate overview of what peak oil is what the implications may be. He then provides very practical advice and references.
For a taste of his writing, see his website:
http://www.inthewake.org/
For a taste of his writing, see his website:
http://www.inthewake.org/
January 8, 2009
An efficiently-written and brief introduction to the sorts of small-scale technologies that will be very useful if civilization collapses and isn’t coming back. A sort of boy scout manual for folks who think the end is nigh.
November 24, 2009
neat little book of tips about various survival priorities when the world comes to a grinding halt when the oil runs out. Has some diagrams and interesting information, not sure this would be the one book that helps you rebuild the human race after the global meltdown though.
September 8, 2009
Small quick book that list lots of other more indepth coverage of good survival skills and tools.
February 18, 2011
Simple, the basics, wasn't expecting much more. Don't think there is need for much more for a rural/suburban survival. Don't think we'll be in the wilderness anytime soon.
December 31, 2016
Probably more of a reference book to have on hand, rather than something to commit to memory.
October 13, 2008
For all you crazy off the grid people, like me, wanna be.
September 9, 2018
The main problem with this book: it addresses the Peak as a *short* emergency. In case of sharp oil supply interruption - dig a water well and a latrine and cook food with the wood. The emergency rations will come by helicopters and the oil supply will be eventually restored by your dear government (or the United Nations). Hopefully...
The real Peak Oil will come at much slower pace: between the Peak and the major supply interruption will be 20-40 years of gradual decline. Your communication network, electricity grid, water and sewer will not die across the entire country overnight all together.
The real problem is the *food*. On page XII the author mentions that in the modern agriculture each calorie of food needs 10 calories of fossil fuel; on page XXI - "a technique that allows a 1,000-square-foot garden to meet food needs would generally be preferred to a 1,500-squarre-foot garden"; then on pages 36-40 - that the latrine discharge and the graywater can be used. Upon that, the gardening (or any other method of obtaining food) is never mentioned in the book. Obviously, the author never gave much thought to the agriculture and food security. Even in the tropics, 1,000-ft garden will not feed a single person for a year. In reality one needs something like 15,000-sq-ft in the tropics and up to 50,000-sq-ft in the southern Canada. For a typical suburb, with a family of 4 or 5 on a 5,000-ft plot of land, this is not very achievable, unless 95% of the population suddenly dies overnight (which also won't happen).
On the page 11, the author shows exactly that: 1,200 x 1,200 ft plot of land, with 3 round huts - 1,000-sq-ft of living space, by the rough estimate, and a 500-sq-ft 'VIP' latrine (which looks a bit excessive). 10% of the land is a creek, with a separate branch for taking fresh water. In Canada, this land can feed about 30 people (if you don't mind sharing a common room with 9 others). Unfortunately, such wonderful nature spots are rare and all but taken.
As a practical guide for well and latrine construction the book is quite useless, because the subjects are not covered in depth. It is an interesting read, however, to understand how some people see the Peak Oil.
The real Peak Oil will come at much slower pace: between the Peak and the major supply interruption will be 20-40 years of gradual decline. Your communication network, electricity grid, water and sewer will not die across the entire country overnight all together.
The real problem is the *food*. On page XII the author mentions that in the modern agriculture each calorie of food needs 10 calories of fossil fuel; on page XXI - "a technique that allows a 1,000-square-foot garden to meet food needs would generally be preferred to a 1,500-squarre-foot garden"; then on pages 36-40 - that the latrine discharge and the graywater can be used. Upon that, the gardening (or any other method of obtaining food) is never mentioned in the book. Obviously, the author never gave much thought to the agriculture and food security. Even in the tropics, 1,000-ft garden will not feed a single person for a year. In reality one needs something like 15,000-sq-ft in the tropics and up to 50,000-sq-ft in the southern Canada. For a typical suburb, with a family of 4 or 5 on a 5,000-ft plot of land, this is not very achievable, unless 95% of the population suddenly dies overnight (which also won't happen).
On the page 11, the author shows exactly that: 1,200 x 1,200 ft plot of land, with 3 round huts - 1,000-sq-ft of living space, by the rough estimate, and a 500-sq-ft 'VIP' latrine (which looks a bit excessive). 10% of the land is a creek, with a separate branch for taking fresh water. In Canada, this land can feed about 30 people (if you don't mind sharing a common room with 9 others). Unfortunately, such wonderful nature spots are rare and all but taken.
As a practical guide for well and latrine construction the book is quite useless, because the subjects are not covered in depth. It is an interesting read, however, to understand how some people see the Peak Oil.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews