Energy crisis, what energy crisis?

The unfolding calamity of the world's markets over the last few months seems to have highlighted the inability of our political systems to cope with major global crisis. The best economic experts in the world failed woefully to defend banking systems from the tsunami of doubt that's seen seemingly untouchable monolithic corporations fold like corner shops as we all become owners of the 'free' market.

So what does this teach us? Firstly, we made the global financial systems, but they're so big and complex that no-one can control them. How can we hope to control a climate that we didn't make, when we probably understand it even less than we understand our markets? Secondly, it may not be wise to trust our political systems to protect us from the conflicting threats of climate change, peak oil production and impending energy crisis when they've shown themselves to be so impotent, culpable even, during the recent fiscal dramas.

Perhaps an element of self-sufficiency might benefit all of us over the coming years. Perhaps micro- (or even nano-) generation and food production will at least make us feel ready for the dimmer lights and the higher food prices if they every come to pass. At best, they help us avoid a return to the dark ages.