Peak oil is the point in time when the quantity of oil extracted from the earth begins to irreversibly decline. The United States reached peak oil in the early 1970s. Predictions vary, but global peak oil is anticipated as early as the year 2007.
This fragile balance of the worldwide supply and demand of oil has the potential to incite violent resource wars, where smaller, less economically developed oil-exporting nations will be at risk of both civil conflict from within and potential invasion by industrial nations from without. We may also see increased political and economic instability within these third world oil-producing nations as well as the displacement of indigenous peoples and the vast destruction of pristine environments. And with fossil fuels now such an integral part of our worldwide food production, peak oil also imperils our ability to feed the ever growing human population.
To learn more about peak oil and how you can support organizations currently working to address peak oil issues:
Post Carbon Institute
Post Carbon Institute is a think, action and education
tank offering research, project tools, education and
information to implement proactive strategies to adapt
to an energy-constrained world. The development of Post
Carbon Institute came out of concern for the
environmental, social, political and economic ramifications
of global over-reliance on cheap energy. Website includes
information on four key initiatives: Global Public Media,
Local Energy Farms, the Oil Depletion Protocol and the
Relocalization Network.
ASPO USA (Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas-USA)
ASPO-USA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and
public education initiative created to address America's
peak oil energy challenge. ASPO encourages prudent
energy management, constructive community
transformation and cooperative initiatives. Website
includes up-to-date information, newsletters and
membership information for other ASPO organizations
active worldwide, including ASPO Australia, France,
New Zealand, Sweden and Spain .
The Oil Drum
An online community that discusses ideas related to peak
oil, sustainable development and growth, and the
implications of these ideas on politics, economics, etc.
Energy Bulletin
A clearinghouse for news and research concerning the
peak in global energy supply, including oil and gas
production data, economic or societal clues to decline
profiles, relevant institutional pronouncements, and
innovations or partial solutions to the crisis, such as
renewable energy generation capacity and research,
alternative financial systems or post-carbon urban
agriculture.
