This was the question I offered when Radio 4's Any Questions
came to Woking in October 2008. It was not taken up. Below is a
collection of ideas I have come across.
Our house used to have two chimneys, but we took one out when we built an extension in 2005. The other is now swept and in use burning logs, to cut down on burning gas. I was able to collect a three year supply of logs free from a local vicarage where they were lying abandoned at the end of the garden. If the gulf stream fails, which is possible, then the colder temperatures in winter will make logs a precious resource.
Some adaptations require a long lead time. For example, when electricity becomes short, it would be a good thing if water continued to flow through the pipes into our homes without needing electricity for pumping stations. We could begin to get ready for this by working on the infrastructure now, it seems to me. Walking to fetch water is not my idea of fun. Similarly, what state are the sewers in? Any necessary repairs should be done sooner rather than later.
Could bicycle parts be designed to be oil free, i.e. non-plastic?
I'm expecting it to cost £100,000 to fly across the
Atlantic one day. The fascinating question is when? By then, the
great age of the large sailing ship will have dawned -
computer-controlled, of course. Not that many people will be able
to afford to go. Life will have become a great deal more local.
Traditional skills will be needed again. At present, they are
dying out. Clive Dunning who made wooden
tool handles in Woking, has now retired; he was the last such
craftsman in the country. He has had five apprentices, but they
were all older than him. Timber will become more important as the
years pass, I reckon. 
Bumble bees are in serious decline due to chemical onslaught and the lack of habitat. Lawns are not good for them it seems. Wild flowers would be better.
Food security is under threat. Another reason for considering a vegetable plot, but the truth is, can I be bothered? And we have worked so hard on getting the garden looking nice. Still, the raspberries yield well. My parents used to keep chickens after the second world war...
I believe horses will become important once again. fertilisers and pesticides are made from oil and natural gas, so horse manure will also become valuable. What other things could be made from it? Now that the Black Sea has become filled with jelly fish, has anyone discovered a good use for them?
I believe that one day electricity will
become so scarce it will only be available for the emergency
services. The light switches in private homes will have no
effect. It will be impossible to run freezers. This means that
bottling and preserving of fruit will return. The picture shows
my first attempt at marmalade making, in January 2009. It was
easier than I had expected, and tastes good as well.
A hotch potch of ideas, maybe, but better to have disorganised thoughts than to ignore what's coming. If you have other ideas or links I can add, please get in touch. Thanks, David Pennant , Woking.