Peak Oil makes front page of National UK Newspaper

stu

About time.

http://www.independent.co.uk/
_________________
"The age of excess is over. The age of entropy has begun"

BrownDog

I agree that it's about time. However, a while back I would have thought that such an event might mean that PO would get wider attention. Now, I have more of a wait-and-see attitude. We'll see...

FishAreBest

It has been discussed on Radio 4 (UK, national radio station, similar to US NPR, but better funded) a lot recently.

Yesterday's "You and Yours" (consumer affairs type program) there was a long feature on "Transition Towns" which mentioned peak oil several times.

Today's "Today Programme" (morning news) had a feature on it. Says peak in 4 years and effectively run out in 40.

Smudger

its good its on. the indie does try and put a global climate/resource issue on its front page every two weeks or so. normally its is to do with climate change. i suspect it wont be long before the penny drops PO likely to have an effect before CC.

stu

The Independent has a circulation of about 250,000 and is low compared to Murdochs Sun which gets three million plus daily.

http://www.abc.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=nav/abc&noc=y

But at least thats a quarter of a million people who are gonna be PO aware.
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"The age of excess is over. The age of entropy has begun"

Aaron

highlander

How can you not believe in an absolute resource constraint?
Aaron, you are too kind.
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This is where everybody puts profound words written by another...or not so profound words written by themselves
Highlander 2007

shortonoil · Fission Joined: Dec 02, 2004 Posts: 2752 Location: VA USA

Aaron said:

Zardoz

"We don't believe there is an absolute resource constraint."

A quote for the ages. This beauty deserves a place in the pantheon of silly remarks next to Neville Chamberlain's "peace in our time" crack.

And, of course, it comes from an economist. Why are we not surprised?
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"Thank you for attending the oil age. We're going to scrape what we can out of these tar pits in Alberta and then shut down the machines and turn out the lights. Goodnight." - seldom_seen

cudabachi

The same article is now on the Drudge Report.....this will get it a lot of attention.

Eli

Well it is nice to see this story on the front page of a major paper.

We are now entering the point where KSA has to put up or shut up.

We all know that thus far they have been consistently cutting their oil shipments to Asia. It is obvious to most of us that they have likely passed peak and are having trouble standing still let alone increasing production.

After this summer I wonder if we will see a story explaining how we are all ready past peak oil and in unimaginable trouble.

untothislast

You may be interested to read the range of replies which subsequently turned up in the 'Independent's' letters page:

Act now to head off energy wars

Sir: In your report "World oil supplies are set to run out faster than expected", 14 June) calculations show that within a few years the global supply of oil will peak, then start to drop dramatically. And we will be arriving at this peak just when China and other countries are drastically increasing their demand and we in the west are more addicted to our oil-based life-styles (motoring, jet-travel, large homes, exotic produce) than ever.

So what will happen? You don't need a crystal ball: oil wars are already commonplace (in the Middle East and in Central Asia), and politicians, oil executives and various oppressive regimes (Saudi Arabia) are, more than ever, scheming to control this precious resource. These conflicts can only get worse. The only way to maintain our lifestyle on a planet where demand is ballooning and resources are dwindling is to wage war and to take what you need (or want) by force. This is already happening in Iraq, Chechnya and maybe soon in Iran.

Governments speak of "terrorism" and of "criminals" but isn't what the western consumer-machine is doing to the planet just as bad, if not worse? Our life-styles lead directly to a relentless sapping of the world's resources and inequalities which in some cases are close to slavery. We must start adjusting our society to fit the limitations which we know are coming. If we don't make the adjustments then climate change and resource wars will make them for us. And that won't be pleasant.

ALAN SEARLE

COLOGNE, GERMANY

Sir: A drastic miscalculation of global oil reserves (report, 14 June) will lead to complacency and inaction to tackle the carbon dioxide threat to the world.

The report by the London-based Oil Depletion Analysis Centre said previous estimates that oil reserves will expire in about 40 years were wrong and they will run out much more quickly after peaking in four years. Oil production may, in reality, last a further 100 years, meaning the world should anticipate a much more protracted threat from the resultant carbon dioxide emissions.

Even within the energy sector there continues to be confusion between the highly conservative figures for "proven" reserves and what will actually be produced.

If institutions and people accept the warnings now being offered that oil will run out sooner than previously thought, then there will be an inevitable relaxation and complacency over the problem of carbon dioxide generated in consumption of the oil.

We should now be working out best methods of capturing and storing the carbon dioxide to reduce global warming, which will depend on innovation in chemistry. When earlier estimates said, wrongly, that oil would last four decades or so it was already underplaying the carbon dioxide threat. Now, if people think that the oil will be there for only 10 or 20 years then the determination and commitment to develop capture and storage technology will ebb, and that would be a disaster.

DR RICHARD PIKE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY, LONDON W1

Sir; The cover story "A World Without Oil" omitted significant oil reserves: oil shale in eight countries holds a total of 1.5 trillion barrels, and the Athabasca Tar Sands is already in production with 2.5 trillion barrels.

HARRY O WALLER

PETROLEUM GEOLOGIST, FELPHAM, WEST SUSSEX

Sir: At last, a newspaper that's not afraid to put good news on the front page: "A world without oil".

D EVANS

CARDIFF

Twilight · Expert Joined: Mar 02, 2007 Posts: 3076 Location: UK

Yes, as usual most of the readers are idiots.

What next, peak oil is a conspiracy to justify resource wars? Though I get the strangest sense of deja vu about that one. Shocked

Judgie

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