Blood and Oil: Part 1- Peak Oil Primer
(Graph Credit:Dr. C.J. Cambpell/Petroconsultants)
This Fall,Philadelphia hosted a conference entitled "Philly Beyond Oil", exploring energy issues. One of the speakers was Jan Lundberg, former petroleum industry analyst, who offers up an extensive perspective on energy at Culture Change (See also
Jan Lundberg on Peak Oil: Interview )
Periodically, we must step back and remember some of the reasons we are at war in the first place. How has our consumptive, oil addicted culture brought us to the today we bemoan? How can we talk about war and resources without talking about energy policy?
Energy policy writers divide our 'energy history' into two distinct time frames: The period before the oil embargo in the seventies and the period following, during which energy efficiency considerations began to emerge.
Now I am not an energy expert. I am a regular person, trying to take responsibility for the fact that my actions impact the decisions of our leaders.
In fact, I am guilty of many violations on occasion. Like many of you, I am an "awareness" work in progress, hardly in a position to preach, held swiftly by the noose we speak of around here. I am where many of you are at. Learning the 'energy' vocabulary. We are trying to change because we get it, and we realize WE MUST.
Where can we start?
We can start by taking a look at peak oil. What it is, and what it isn't. Resources:
Peak Oil: An Introduction
Wolf at The Door: Beginner's Guide to Peak Oil
Assoc. for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas
Post Carbon Institute (Note their Plan for Peak)
Peak Oil News and Message Boards
Energy Bulletin's peak Oil Primer
and...
Life After the Oil Crash:
"Civilization as we know it is coming to an end soon. This is not the wacky proclamation of a doomsday cult, apocalypse bible prophecy sect, or conspiracy theory society. Rather, it is the scientific conclusion of the best paid, most widely-respected geologists ,physicists, and investment bankers in the world. These are rational, professional, conservative individuals who are absolutely terrified by a phenomenon known as global "Peak Oil."
2 comments:
I don't always get the peak oil thing, I know we will run out but then they talk about how the beginning oil is esaier to refine than the last and so what we are saying is that it is not about being halfway through our oil but that the oil from now on is going to be worse quality?
www.eclipsenow.org Explains the differences, and has links to industry statements (not that they are objective)Quote:
"Basically, oil will become so expensive that the majority of us will not be able to drive, or use the many petro-chemical products that are made from oil. If you are new to the subject of peak oil, I hardly know how to sum up the consequences... other than it being one of the most serious crisis humanity faces today!
The most serious crisis facing humanity today!
Unless there is an all out nuclear holocaust, peak oil is possibly the most serious crisis humanity faces this century! It dwarfs the effects of bird flu and terrorism together hands down.
Oil enables everything we do, from how we grow our food to where we truck that food, from petro-chemicals in all our plastics, paints, varnishes, and medicines through to the type of cities we live in and the way we have spread out through the landscape in the most energy intensive lifestyle imaginable — suburbia.
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