our latest political crisis here in the States, I came across this new article today on a old argument of the availability of oil , whether it has peaked in production or not, whether there is no fear, there is plenty still there, just have to find it, Yadda , yada..
I think I am a pessimist and one who has a hard time arguing with those who are more knowledgeable then I , I don't see conspiracy's around every corner, and as far as this phenomenon , energy cost sky rocketing and not coming down, affecting all aspects of our lives, has anyone been surprised, noticed the cost of food at the food stores lately?
Reason? Fuel costs, energy costs..
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english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/07/201172081613634207.html--------------------------------------------------
[Click on link to read the article]
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The scourge of 'peak oil'
When demand for oil consistently surpasses supply, experts warn that our lives will look "very differently".
Dahr Jamail Last Modified: 25 Jul 2011 13:21
"We're going to see major changes in industrial civilisation ... anything with a parking lot is going to be in trouble" [EPA]
Energy derived from oil reaches, quite literally, every aspect of our lives.
From the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, to how we move ourselves around, without oil, our lives would look very differently.
Yet oil is a finite resource. While there is no argument that it won't last forever, there is debate about how much oil is left and how long it might last.
Tom Whipple, an energy scholar, was a CIA analyst for 30 years - and believes we are likely at, or very near, a point in history when the maximum production capacity for oil is reached, a phenomenon often referred to as "peak oil".
"Peak oil is the time when the world's production reaches the highest point, then starts back down again," Whipple told Al Jazeera. "Oil is a finite resource, and [it] someday will go down, and that is what the peak oil discussion is all about."
There are signs that peak oil may have already arrived.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently increased its forecast for average global oil consumption in 2011 to 89.5 million barrels per day (bpd), an increase of 1.2 million bpd over last year.
For 2012, the IEA is expecting another increase of 1.5 million bpd for a total global oil consumption of 91million bpd, leaving analysts such as Whipple to question how production will be able to keep up with increasing consumption. Whipple's analysis matches IEA data which shows world oil production levels have been relatively flat for six years.
"This is getting very close to the figure that some observers believe is the highest the world will ever produce," Whipple wrote of the IEA estimate in the July 14 issue of Peak Oil Review. He told Al Jazeera that peak oil could be reached at some point in the next month, or at the latest, within "a few years".
