Aftermath Series Overview: 4 Global Disaster Scenarios

"Aftermath" originally in 2010 but I just got around to seeing it. It is not a series but actually a 5 part miniseries with the following episodes. Additional info is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermath_(TV_series) Most episodes are available on YouTube and are definitely worth a look.

"When The Earth Stops Spinning"- This will throw the planet into chaos. The days/months will no longer resemble the ones we have now. This will throw crop production/growth into chaos. It will become hotter and hotter. People will not able to breathe since the ozone layer will disappear. They will need to move to areas where there is oxygen and a livable temperature. The oceans will move and great land masses will open. Kansas for some reason seems to be an ideal location at least for a while. Some people may survive by moving to areas where the ocean used to be.

"World Without Oil"- Oil is made out of dead plants and animals compressed over millions of years and in all sorts of modern products. I bet you didn't know these products were made from oil: http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm

Without petroleum, the world will be thrown back into the dark ages with no electricity and no way for many people to get food (most of the US's supply is shipped to them by ship and/or truck. The US military is the single largest consumer of oil. Hoarding gas doesn't work since it goes bad after about a year.
Other alternatives to oil include:

Diesel- Diesel engines can run on cooking oil (either new or used) and is much more fuel efficient. However cars using cooking oil can not run during cold climates (since the oil will thicken and clog the fuel lines).
Ethanol- In Brazil there are cars running on ethanol (made out of sugar cane). The US is WAY behind the rest of the world in ethanol production. Corn and soybeans can also be used to make biofuel. Of course growing crops for fuel means that those crops cant be used for food (which may mean many people starve).
Methanol, lye and other scavenged items can be used to create biofuel (but this doesn't work long term).
Electric- electric cars would also see a big increase in usage in a world without oil.
Algae- algae can also be processed into fuel. Algae is 30% more energy efficient than other biofuels.
Lithium- is the main ingredient in batteries. Bolivia may become a word superpower due to the great quantity of lithium there.

"Red Giant"- We do not realize our tenuous our life is on this Goldlocks planet where its not too hot and not too cold. If the Sun turns into a red dwarf other plants will then become more inhabitable for a time (such as Jupiter's moon Europa). It is only a matter of time before no place (including underground) is inhabitable by humans.

"Population Overload"- I think we all know what will happen with this. This is the most pressing scenario of all those presented in this series.

There was also another special called "Population Zero" or "World Without Humans" depending on what channel it aired on (Discovery or National Geographic):

There are 173 nuclear plants worldwide. There are 23 in the eastern US
Cats will continue to survive due to their nature hunting instinct. They are survive from eating mice and nothing else (they produce their own vitamin C).
The show covers what would happen to various human created structures over time including the Hoover Dam, Eiffel Tower, State of Liberty, etc.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). Very thought provoking although there's nothing we can do to protect ourselves from many of these.