Timeline

2004	World oil production plateaus for the next several years
2009	Oil production begins a steady decline
2011	Coal mining and liquefaction in the US and other industrialized countries begins to ramp up as the world enters a severe economic recession
2012	Fundamentalist revolution in Saudi Arabia; oil exports from that country cease
2013	US / UK invasion of Saudi Arabia; oil fields along Persian Gulf seized. Iran and a few other oil-producing countries restrict exports in protest.
2013	Russia seizes Caspian Sea oil fields. China invades Siberia and Central Asia.
2013	10 kT nuclear bomb explodes in Washington DC. Iran blamed for supplying the bomb; US and allies invade.
2015	9.6 magnitude earthquake in San Francisco bay area. Major bridges destroyed, highrises collapse, fires burn much of the city. Survivors are left without enough food and water as the Federal government is slow to respond.
2016	Californian Independence party wins elections in that state. Anger over the economy, inadequate response to the earthquake, and the ongoing war responsible for growing independence movement.
2015 - 2020	Famine spreads in China and parts of North America as lack of oil for farms and transportation, as well as drought and soil loss reduce food supply.
2018	California declares independence, followed later that year by Oregon and Washington. The US does not attempt to use force, as the bulk of the military is deployed in the middle east.
2019	President Schwarzenegger blamed for using National Guard against rioters in famine-stricken southern California and San Joaquin Valley - called the 'Butcher of Bakersfield'
2020 - 2025	US and China continue to fight to control resources in Asia. Arctic Ocean is now ice-free for most of the year, and melting of Greenland ice sheets accelerates. Southern California secedes, falls into chaos. Cargo ships filled with Chinese refugees begin turning up along Northern Californian and Cascadian coast. Large increase in immigration from Japan; many settle in central valley and delta.
2022	Player born
2026	Coastal California secedes; forms "People's Republic of California". California's capital renamed "Freedom City".
2029	War breaks out between Western and Chinese forces in Asia.
2031	Nuclear exchange. Hundreds of millions killed on both sides. Most west coast cities spared, perhaps due to huge Chinese populations in those areas, with the exceptions of San Diego, Sacramento (Freedom City), and several smaller military bases.
2031	Dreams of Before
2031 - 2050	The Collapse. The west coast slowly recovers, while civilization is nearly destroyed in much of the rest of the continent. Chinese refugees take control of the southern portion of the People's Republic of California.
2025 - 2045	Sea level rises due to Greenland and Antarctic melting at a rate of about a foot per year, levelling off after a 7 meter rise. Most Japanese retreat to high ground around Rio Vista, which becomes an island.
2052	Game begins