It’s hard to think for some reason of this as a new decade but the fact is that we are in the tens, teens and out of the oughts, maybe we ought to think about that for a second. What will this decade hold?
Well, for one thing we have passed peak oil. Oil is expected to run out sometime during this decade and alternative energy is not ready to fill in the gap. The most optimistic estimates put oil lasting until 2030 the least sometime around five years from now oil becomes to expensive to be practical anymore and too important to governments to waste on their populations.
That may sound abstract, but in fact, that means that energy will be more expensive, no matter what (unless a miracle cheap source is developed). It also means that food prices will rise, plastic goods won’t be as cheap as they have been up to now, and that in general the high standard of material living that most of the world has enjoyed for the last 50 years will start to decline. This may be especially true for the 1st world nations who may try to maintain thier levels at the expense of second and third world nations who will likely suffer so much that Langston Hughes poem and the basis of the communist philosophy may come to pass….the heavy load will sag on the back and then it will explode. Expect problems.
Of course, none of this will matter if the fruitcakes who think the ancient Mayans were correct are correct themselves. It will all end in 2012.
Then there is the Russian scientist who sees the dissolution of the U.S.A happening this year. Not very likely that he is the new Nostrodamus.
And as for the ‘economic recovery’. I’m laughing at the high handed way those with everything are making those with nothing think that things are improving. It’s not the emperor who is naked, but all of his subjects who think that they are clothed in riches. Just look at the U.S jobs report that came out today and ignore the stock market for a moment…is that a recovery? Only for JP Morgan.
And yet, it will be hard for things to decline where I am at. In fact, the loss of what ‘affluence’ has brought in Morocco would probably improve the quality of life for nearly everyone who isn’t rich here. It’s hard to fall further than the 7th century.
Vago Damitio is the Editor in Chief of Vagobond.com and the CEO of Vagobond Travel Media. He is also a husband, father, writer, blogger, traveler, adventurer and teacher. He has spent his life mastering how to have incredible adventures on minuscule budgets. Someday he hopes to have the option of using gigantic budgets for miniscule adventures.
Vago's primary goal is to make Vagobond the best independent travel site on the web. So far, so good. 
