Surviving the Future – Part Two

Dr Vernon Coleman




The following advice is taken from Vernon Coleman’s book `A Bigger Problem than Climate Change- The End of Oil’.

1 If possible you should acquire alternative forms of heating and cooking. Do not rely on one energy source. If you have gas central heating then you should have one or two electric heaters available. If you have to replace your oven consider purchasing one which will enable you to cook with either gas or electricity. There is a chance that when one isn’t working, the other will be.

2 The most useful outdoor tool I have is a small, hand held, electric saw which cuts through quite thick branches. It has a rechargeable battery and is much safer than a large power saw. (There won’t be any medical services so you don’t really want to have to sew your leg back on by yourself.) A small hand held power saw charges up quite quickly and can be recharged when the electricity comes on. You can also use your saw to chop up garden furniture and even some of the furniture indoors if you have no other way to keep warm and to heat water and food.

3 It is possible to buy car-style batteries which can be recharged from the mains – and kept charged. You can use one of these to enable you to watch a video as a treat.

4 Prepare yourself for electricity blackouts by buying lamps and candles. If you buy candles, don't forget that you will need candle holders and matches. (And make sure that everyone in the family knows how to use them safely.) Camping shops and ironmongers sell brilliant camping lights which run on batteries. These can stand or hang so that you can still see to read, cook, eat etc in the evenings. Small torches which clip onto jackets or belts are brilliant. Head torches which run on batteries are brilliant – wherever you go, you have light.

5 Learn to grow food. If you have space, prepare a vegetable plot. Erect a greenhouse as a way to grow crops in a longer growing season – and to provide some protection from wildlife. It is possible to grow spinach, kale and carrots in a greenhouse pretty well all the year round. Ideally, you should have a vegetable patch which is not open to the world. Thieves of the future will not be stealing television sets and mobile phones. They will be stealing potatoes and runner beans. If you grow your own vegetables you will have to be prepared to protect them from thieves.

6 Do not take on any additional debt. Try to pay off any existing debts as soon as you can. Credit card debts are particularly expensive and can be a huge drain on your personal resources. If interest rates soar your repayments could be crippling. Water and food are, like fuel, going to become extremely expensive. And the coming price rises in oil and food will be structural not cyclical. Oil and food will never again be as plentiful or as cheap as they are now. Your savings could help you survive.

7 The owners of many websites now promote packs of survival food. These are often very expensive and difficult to store. The easiest food to store is rice. Buy packets of long dated rice and keep them in a dry cupboard. You can buy packs of rice with vegetables. Buy long dated pasta too. Buy herbs to add taste to otherwise bland meals. (It is remarkably easy to grow your own herbs. All you really need is a windowsill and some sunshine and a little water. Tins of beans aren’t difficult to store and will last far longer than their `Best Before’ date.

8 For cooking, buy a camping stove, or a barbecue set. Or buy a metal tripod which you can place on an indoor log or coal fire.

9 This could be a good time to examine your life. How many of the things you spend money on are essential to your health and happiness? How many of the things you buy turn out to be a burden rather than an asset? Every time you make a big purchase consider not just the cash price but also the time price. How many hours did you have to work to earn the money to pay for it? If you are contemplating buying an electrical item that costs £500 and you earn £5 an hour net of taxes then the item you're thinking of buying will cost 100 hours of your life. Step off the consumer treadmill and you may feel immediate physical and mental benefits. More importantly, perhaps, you will be preparing yourself for the New World which the conspirators have planned for us – a world in which consumption is not going to be conspicuous.

10 Try to replace some of the more complex tools in your house with simpler tools that don't need electricity. For example, a small hand drill may be slower and harder to use than an electric drill but you will still be able to use it when there is no electricity. Accumulate simple well-made hand tools to use around the house and garden. You can often buy good second tools at auctions, in junk shops (if you can find one) and in charity shops.

11 This might be a time to start learning simple, practical skills so that you will be able to look after your home and your belongings without always being reliant on outside `experts'. Learning basic carpentry and basic plumbing will provide you with considerable freedom.

12 Don’t rely on the internet for advice. Without electricity there won’t be any internet and so there won’t be any helpful videos to watch. Buy good, old fashioned books full of practical advice on first aid, basic carpentry, basic plumbing, basic repair work and so on.

NOTE
`A Bigger Problem than Climate Change – The End of Oil’ is available from the bookshop on www.vernoncoleman.com

Copyright Vernon Coleman April 2026





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