Powerdown begins with an overview of the likely impacts of oil and natural gas depletion and then outlines four options for industrial societies during the next decades:

- Last One Standing: the path of competition for remaining resources;
- Powerdown: the path of cooperation, conservation and sharing;
- Waiting for a Magic Elixir: wishful thinking, false hopes, and denial;
- Building Lifeboats: the path of community solidarity and preservation.