Peak Oil News - The Role of Technology in Meeting Current and Future Petroleum Energy Demand

The current debate over “peak oil” is both vigorous and contentious, reflecting the high stakes involved. Optimists maintain that the future availability of petroleum crude oil is unlimited and there is no need to worry about satisfying rapidly increasing consumption, even though production in major mature fields is declining and the rate of major new discoveries is in danger of not keeping pace with reserves depletion. Pessimists assert that the historical peak in petroleum production is imminent and will herald dire shortages and political unrest. Other articles in this issue address the scientific objectivity and validity of these opposing viewpoints