What about the books?

AuthorFriedemann, Alice
PositionFROM READERS - Letter to the editor

After worldwide oil production peaks, there are no substitutes ready to make up the energy shortfall. Since there are no alternative energy sources, a priority should be the preservation of knowledge.

We're likely to lose many of the books printed on acidic paper between 1850 and most of the 20th century within decades. For the last 20 years, many books and journals have been printed on non-acidic paper and put on microfiche. Both can last for centuries if kept at an ideal temperature and humidity. But that isn't permanent enough. Librarians are aware of this, and have turned to computers as a way to preserve knowledge. Some libraries are stopping the delivery of many printed journals and have them online only.

But computers are the top card in the house-of-cards complex civilization we built with coal and oil, and computers will be the first to go when supply chains fail as global trade diminishes.

When world oil production declines, all nations will be affected. The major likely consequences are global depression and civil disorder as decline continues, starvation as agriculture is affected, and World War III over the remaining resources. If it is possible to etch words into metallic or other extremely durable substances, we ought to do it, not only for the coming dark ages, but to enable some knowledge to survive through future climate changes. After all, we once put a disk on a space probe...

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