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Oil is essential for us to continue the way we exist, and filters down into all levels of our society and culture. Almost everything we do relies on oil. If it’s not made from oil, it’s touched by oil in its manufacture or transport. A myriad of chemicals we use in our lives are created from oil.

So why is that so important? We probably all know that cars and trucks powered by oil derived fuels produce carbon dioxide causing environment problems, but is that the full story?

The central issue here is geological. Whether in an individual oil field, a nation or the planet as a whole, oil supply tends to follow a bell curve over time. That means oil production rates increase on the upslope of the bell curve, and decrease on the down slope. Typically, the peak of this curve occurs when reserves are 50 percent depleted, which is followed by an irreversible slow decline in production following the law of diminishing returns.

Peak Oil is what we call the top of that bell curve. Once we’ve reached the top we start down the other side and that means we can’t obtain as much as we did the day before and so it goes.

The problem with Peak Oil is that we’ll always want more. But when we want more of something that’s becoming scarcer we run into a brick wall. The point at which we hit the brick wall can’t be accurately predicted because the system is so big and incredibly complex.

However, Geologists, physicists, and investors alike agree that we're at, or near the tipping point, and none can accurately forecast the rate, intensity, or consequences of supply shortfall. Some say we’ve already say we’ve gone beyond that point and that we’ve already peaked.

Last summer oil prices reached very high levels and now they are much lower. So does that mean the problem has gone away? Not exactly – when things become more expensive people find they cannot afford them any more so less gets bought or consumed. If enough people stop buying a product the factory that makes it has to stop production when the warehouse is full. Demand for oil is low at the moment but when demand rises again we may find ourselves unable to meet supply.

>>> What can we do about it? <<<

It may be true that we are beyond the point of no return, however with innovation and preparation, we can try to avoid the worst case scenarios. Conveniently, the key solutions to peak oil and climate change are one and the same:

1. Conservation of remaining fossil fuels
2. Investment in alternative ways to make energy
3. Localized production to reduce oil use in transportation
4. Sustainable agriculture without oil derived fertilizers and pesticides
5. Use of public transport and moving closer to our workplace

... and above all:

6. Our human spirit, ingenuity and capability to solve problems together

With awareness and cooperation, we can become better informed and develop new habits. With collective and coordinated action, we can influence our governments and media to help us prepare and adapt in a positive way.

To that end, we are looking for motivated and optimistic people to join our network of 'Peak Oil Ambassadors' to act as part-time liaisons in their communities and organizations. You may contact us if you're interested.

So take a minute right now and invite all your friends to join this group, and next time you're having a conversation with someone, don't forget to ask:

"Have you heard about Peak Oil?"

Thanks for your help,
"Have you heard about Peak Oil?" admin team

Get informed:

http://www.theoildrum.com
http://www.peakoil.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil
http://www.oildepletionprotocol.org/
http://postcarbon.org/
http://omrpublic.iea.org/
http://www.howtoboilafrog.com/
http://www.energybulletin.net/primer.php
http://www.communitysolution.org/
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net
http://www.afstrinity.com/worldoil.htm
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/oil/supply_demand.html
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0406/feature5/
http://www.globalpublicmedia.com

Research:

http://del.icio.us/search/?fr=del_icio_us&p=peakoil&type=all
http://www.google.ca/search?q=peak+oil
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peak+oil&search=Search
(read less)

Register for free on our Global forum, and connect to your community now:

http://www.demosphere.net/forums/index.php?action=register

Oil is essential for us to continue the way we exist, and filters down into all levels of our society and culture. Almost everything we do relies on oil. If it’s not made from oil, it’s touched by oil in its manufacture or transport. A myriad of chemicals we use in our lives are created from oil.

So why is that so important? We probably all know that cars and... (read more)