Question on Peak Oil

[minerva50]

Can anyone recommend a good general discussion of the topic of Peak Oil? My book group is reading Heinberg’s latest, Peak Everything. I’m very disappointed with it, it seems to be a disparate collection of essays, thrown together to make up a book to sell to his followers and make a few bucks. I’d prefer a rational discussion by someone who doesn’t have an agenda. What disturbs me about what I’ve read so far is that many of the “experts” seem a little too enamored of apocalypse, like they are looking forward to the new world without petroleum, so that they’re too quick to dismiss any solutions that may allow us to maintain an industrial society. I even read one article by a guy who said we’d already passed peak invention, that the number of new ideas per capita had peaked shortly after the start of the industrial revolution, so we could not rely on human ingenuity to bail us out. Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist or in denial, but I doubt it’s all that hopeless.

[Extend a Hand]

1. many scientists on this site discussing peak oil

www.theoildrum.com

The discussion can get kind of wonky but the focus is on factual analysis rather than what might happen.

[profgoose]

5. wonky? TOD?! Really?

*laugh*

Thanks for the kind words sad_one. :) Yes, it can get wonky...but there's also a lot of smart discussion as well.

[Extend a Hand]

6. aaaawww, I didn't mean 'wonky' in a bad way

just very detailed and technical. There is A LOT of smart discussion (way smarter than me ;) ).

:hi:

And I read it every day.

[calmblueocean]

2. You might enjoy this site

http://peakoildebunked.blogspot.com/

Despite the provocative title, the site doesn't so much 'debunk' the concept of Peak Oil -- the author admits that oil will peak in the next decade or so, or perhaps is peaking now -- but instead shows why things won't be as bad as the 'doomers' say they will be.

[bananas]

7. That's a good site - he has a couple of articles on Kunstler

Kunstler thought y2k would be the end of civilization,
now he's jumped on the peak oil bandwagon.
http://peakoildebunked.blogspot.com/2007/12/325-jim-kunstler-worlds-shittiest.html
http://peakoildebunked.blogspot.com/2006/05/305-kunstler-thought-y2k-was-end-of.html

[pscot]

3. Take a look at Twilight in the Desert

by Matt Simmons. Simmons is a Houston based investment banker who specializes in the oil bidness. His book triggered the last flurry of concern about peak oil.

[minerva50]

4. Thanks

I will check those out.

[bananas]

8. Greg Palast has written about it

in his book "Armed Madhouse"
http://www.gregpalast.com/madhouse/index.php/32
http://www.gregpalast.com/madhouse/index.php/33