Independent View - Peak Oil

'be happy, think positive'

someofusknow wrote:

Monday, 3 August 2009 at 12:32 am (UTC)

'global production is likely to peak in about 10 years'

Firstly, oil is not produced, it is extracted. The earth produces oil at an extremely slow [geological] rate compared to the insane rate at which we are using it ..... around 84 million barrels a day, down from a peak of 87 million barrels a day.

Secondly, it's a nice line, but it does not match the facts. Global extraction of light sweet crude peaked in 2005, and absolute peak of extraction almost certainly occured between 2005 and 2008.

Desperation attempts to prop up the system (tar sands, deep water etc.) are unlikely to compensate for loss of extraction from old oil fields, such as Cantarell, which is now experiencing double digit annual depletion.

Thirdly, since we are headed for an abrupt climate change event (due to massively excessive emissions, very much related ot the use of oil), the last thing we need is an economic recovery that spurs increased oil use and increased emissions.

So here we are, falling off the energy cliff and headed into enviornmental catstrophe, with clowns and criminals in control, squandering one of the most precious substrances we have on futile wars and the construction of white elephants, such as the absurd Olympic venue.

The crux of peak oil is, of course, that there can be NO economic growth with a declining energy supply. And a little further down the track the industrialised food production system, which is totally dependent on cheap oil, will collapse, either rather slowly, or very rapidly -we just don;lt know..

Governments totally ignore all these issues.

It all goes to show what many of us have been sating for a long time: mainstream culture is completely insane and we are headed for a series of catastrophe of almost unimaginable proportions.

However, in the culture of 'be happy, think positive', reality rarely gets a mention.