About This Video
"Shell estimates that after 2015 supplies of easy-to-access oil and gas will no longer keep up with demand."
Mr van der Verr, Chief Executive. Shell Oil
When the Chief Exec of a major oil company says that, it's surely time to sit up and think.
I asked David Strahan, author of The Last Oil Shock; journalist; reporter (BBC's Money Programme, Horizon); and documentary filmmaker, to explain the back-story of Peak Oil and the additional challenges it poses for modern man waking up to a Climate Change dawn.
Imagine life without energy. Now imagine life without energy in a world of Climate Change!
With the price of oil now regularly breaching the $100/barrel mark, and the impact on food prices and production - to name just one life essential- that will have going forward. And if we couple that with the recent crop failures of the major grain-producing countries which is resulting in a worldwide shortage of wheat, record prices and export tariffs (imposed by the major grain exporting countries to preserve stocks for their own populations); it's time, surely, to begin thinking about how we must adjust our way of life and economic infrastructure... whilst we still can.
We go over the reasons for declining oil production and the ramifications for petroleum man. We also examine some of the proposed solutions like: biofuels (dangerous); technology (delusional); carbon sequestration (when?); coal (carbon emmissions) etc...
This conversation is slanted towards the UK's new army of Domestic Energy Assessors but there is nothing said that can't be understood by all; there's no technical jargon, in other words.
This production was originally a podcast but I've added open source film footage and notes to the dialogue for context and depth. Please feel free to add your own.
More show-notes: Oil, Energy and Climate Change
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MikeC (2:26)
1 year ago 0 + -Shell chief fears oil shortage in 7 years
MikeC (20:29)
1 year ago 0 + -BBC News online: Sir Mark Moody calls for EU 'should ban inefficient cars'
MikeC (4:36)
1 year ago 0 + -David Strahan's meticulously researched book called The Last Oil Shock. His site also has some of his journalistic reports and several podcasts with oil industry insiders and experts.
MikeC (25:28)
1 year ago 0 + -The Association of Peak Oil is a network of scientists and others, having an interest in determining the date and impact of the peak and decline of the world's production of oil and gas, due to resource constraints.
Far from being just some group of geeky conspiracy theorists; no, they're just geeks! ;)
Geeks from all walks of life actually including ex-oil company people - Most notable of which: Colin Campbell; a retired exploration geologist who has travelled around the world during his career looking for oil.
He is founder and Honorary Chairman of ASPO and devotes much of his time researching, writing and speaking on the the subject of oil... or rather, the impending lack of it!