[Video] Why Peak Oil Production might be the paramount energy issue of our time
January 28 2009 / by Garry Golden
Category: Environment Year: 2020 Rating: 2
Beyond the occassional post (or two), I have avoided 'Peak Oil' production issues because of its association with those who must always (and only) describe the future in apocalyptic terms.
But based on the IEA World Energy Outlook 2008 report, it has become clear that energy leaders have been using poor data of oil field decline rates (based on a lack of transparency) to support inaccurate forecasts.
Whether peak production has already happened, or will happen in 15 years is irrelevant since we are not prepared for either transition. So it is time to explore implications regarding the world's use of coal, nuclear energy, tar sands, and oil shale. (For those focused on Climate Change, the replacements for oil are not good news for carbon emissions.)
I do not believe that Peak Oil will destroy our civilization, but it certainly has the potential to make us humble, and to serve as 'the' catalyst for evolving our policies from a resource extraction to resource creation paradigm.
The following 40 minute interview is dated (January 2008) but gives a solid overview of peak oil's core issues: field decline rates, discovery rates, production time and costs and lack of real liquid fuel alternatives. [A more current hard edged interview by George Monbiot w/ Dr Fatih Birol: Link to video]
Continue with remaining four (10 minute) videos
40 minute exclusive interview for: "PetroApocalypse Now?"
The interview is in 5 clips at youtube:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bA_F5j97z7E - Reserves, discovery and new technology
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BhXZzNaVLJw - Decline rates, and whether OPEC will increase production
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JY8I7rd8xDk - Demand, the effect of high prices and policy decisions
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lQFy61j8Gng - Biofuels, tar sands and natural gas powered cars
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=p80IuLfXKR0 - Electrification, the vulnerability of the US
Shocking interview with IEA Chief Economist, Peak Oil Production Plateau possible by 2020
