Community Solutions to Peak Oil
I’ve written about The Community Solution to Peak Oil before but I thought I’d mention them again because these folks are holding their second conference this year: Second U.S. Conference on “Peak Oil” and Community Solutions – The Journey Home. It’s coming up soon: September 23-25. Here’s what they have to say about what’s coming:
Peak oil — the point when world oil production reaches its maximum and begins to decline, is an event which is likely to occur this decade. As global demand exceeds supply, oil will become increasingly scarce and expensive.
The end of cheap abundant oil represents an unprecedented challenge for humanity. It heralds the end of many things to which we have become accustomed; the ever growing economy, transportation as we know it, cheap food and goods from around the globe.
“Our response to Peak Oil has major consequences for future generations."
The implications of Peak Oil are far reaching. Oil provides close to 40% of our society’s primary energy (over half of which is imported) and 95% of our transportation fuel. Fossil fuels are a necessity in our way of growing food and in making and transporting everything we buy.
Many react to these coming changes with fear and dread. But we envision a more cooperative, just and equitable world of small local communities.
“Solutions to Peak Oil will require a major shift in our thinking and in our way of life."
If you’re interested in attending you can read more about last year’s conference to get a taste of it.
But wait, there’s more! Another peak oil conference will be held in New York City October 5: Petrocollapse conference. Looks very interesting with speakers such as James Howard Kunstler and Jan Lundberg. More from their site:
As oil prices rise and crude oil supplies and refined products strain to keep up with demand, as Hurricane Katrina wreaks havoc on the production infrastructure as well as on a devastated population, the isse of Peak Oil is finally becoming acknowledged in the mainstream news.
However, the complete story is still suppressed, misunderstandings abound even among students of peak oil and the public remains in the dark about the vast array of consequences of this looming crisis. Dishonest reporting by OPEC countries and major oil companies have contributed to the illusion that there is sufficient time before we “run out of oil” to transition to a “solution”, whether it be cold fusion, hydrogen, renewables or some combination of the above.
In fact, some dozen significant oil producing countries are past their peak in extraction and it is possible that world Peak has already arrived (this cannot be conclusively determined until after the fact). The sudden effects of shortage are likely to hit the global economy within the next three years, possibly even as early as this winter.
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