The purpose of this summary is to analyse the factors behind the view of the public and experts on “peak oil”. Peak oil occurs when the growth of crude oil production reaches a maximum and then drops slowly. The production curve was said to be "bell-shaped". These were indicated by Mr King Hubbert.
It is generally clear how the bell-shaped curve is arrived at. The extracted resources help towards economy development as well as generating high revenues which in turn leads to even more investments for more extraction. Slowly, these resources are exhausted and as time passes, this development starts declining because investments cannot match the high costs of low energy extraction. This is called "Energy Return on Energy Investment" (EROEI); which is the net resources extracted with time.
The reception towards peak oil has not been any different than would anything else, and it comes after four stages; (1) Unaware of it, (2) It is wrong, (3) Not relevant although true (4) It is been said all along
Stage one: Unaware of it
It was examined by J.L. Howard that the idea of peak oil received less attention in the media compared to other news like "terrorism" and "Hollywood". Nonetheless, the public’s awareness to peak oil is growing from evidence of its exposure by the media
Stage two: It is wrong
Experts and the public reject the idea of oil reaching it is peak and running out. Some of the argument is that as long as there is oil remaining to be extracted then we should not
In terms of oil dependence, most of the general public believes that the world has enough oil to support us for the next hundred years; in truth we are rapidly depleting our petroleum sources due to the increasing population and demand. In fact, as was initially theorized by the Hubbert Peak Theory in 1950, Earth peaked in oil supplies in 1973 and the largest oil resources that have been discovered since then have been in Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Here it must be
In our society, oil is one of the core requirements. Whether it is to drive from a point A to a point B or to fly between distant countries, oil always had a fundamental impact on our civilization. Its impact is felt, on a daily basis and under many aspects. Not a day goes by without hearing about the Brent's changing undulation, on the markets in New York or London. Some have thought that the desire to gain control of Iran's oil resources was the core of the CIA's intervention in that country, in the 1950s. In recent years, it was considered, by left-wing groups, that the war in Iraq was based upon an attempt of foreign control over the Iraqi petroleum resources. Even though both events have an unquestioned place
One of the main subjects this documentary talks about is the "peak oil" phenomenon. According to many geoscientists, geologists and other members of the scientific community, oil production is supposed to peak. After this peak, we should start to see production drop as the oil becomes harder to extract and refine. Some think that we have already peaked, others think that production is currently peaking. Recently, there have also been some people in the financial industry who are saying that the peak oil
[Oil production has jumped from 5.0 million barrels per day in 2008 to 7.4 million last year and is expected to average 8.5 million this year and 9.3 million next year, according to the EIA, the analytical arm of the Department of Energy.” (Koch par. 2)]
The U.S. should invest in alternatives to oil, and drill on the United States grounds because it will assist the economy, preserve energy and fix the world’s environmental problems. The supply and demand for oil is always on the rise, and problems are contemplated with the use for oil. Those problems are starting to catch up to the modern world, and something needs to change before the world enters a black out. Experts can predict that there is estimated to be somewhere around 61 years of oil left for us to use at our current rate. The demand for oil is always rising. People in today’s modern society rely so heavily on oil, that they would not know what to expect if it
Several oil-countries have been facing economic and political turbulence as a result of the crash in oil prices, and there is disagreement among OPEC as how to handle the situation. (Krauss) While this is happening, America’s oil production continues to rise, as it inches closer to becoming an energy superpower in production and consumption; and countries that depend on their oil exports face recession.
The term “peak oil” refers to the point when oil production reaches its maximum rate and then its production gradually decreases. There is no doubt that having cities as peak oils will drastically affect many lives. But what exactly are the effects of peak oil? There are many effects that could possibly end the lives of many. One would be that peak oil will affect health services. The Gross Domestic Product or simply the GDP will decline as a result of peak oil. When the GDP declines, it will affect what communities can spend on health care and other social health activities and programs. Most models of health care provisions depend on cheap fossil fuels. Since peak oil will decrease the quantity of oil and as a result increase the prices,
Many critics argue that oil has had too big an impact to our society that we have become too dependant on it. The fact that oil is a non-renewable resource makes us more vulnerable for the inevitable change in the future. However, oil is arguably the best energy provider in our generation. It is cheap and easy to develop and transport. It is highly efficient (compared to alternative sources of energy). To simply discontinue the development of the oil sands would leave huge consequences. The global economy would suffer, as well as, possibly, the quality of lives of people. The unlimited "need" for oil in our society cannot be limited by government decisions. Rather than changing an
Two-thirds of the world’s remaining oil reserves are in the Middle East which will make international policy imperative in the future (Campbell 2007). It is
The "Hubbert 's peak" can refer to the peaking of production of a particular area, which has now been observed for many fields and regions. Hubbert 's Peak was thought to have been achieved in the United States contiguous 48 states. In the early 1970s, Oil production peaked at 10.2 million barrels per day and then declined for several years since. Yet, recent advances in extraction technology and optimistic production forecasts has led to some skepticism of Hubbert 's theory. However, the 1970s peak has not been reached, despite assertions to the contrary. After peak oil, according to the Hubbert Peak Theory, the rate of oil production on Earth would enter a terminal decline. In a recent paper he publicly exploited that in 1956, Hubbert correctly predicted that production of oil from
Renewable energy has currently become a significant aspect in the countries generation, combination, and a constitution focus of government policy for energy, and environmental protection. As a result of public’s growing responsibility for the environment and constantly binding rules, and regulations of emission in the electric power industry, government has facilitated policies to boost the amount of renewable energy in the electricity generation portfolio. Additionally, the generation of electricity from renewable resources creates insufficient, and frequently, zero emissions of pollutants that comes from traditional fossil fuel production technologies. The additional use of renewable energy aids utilities in their emission agreement obligations. Furthermore, the anticipation of agreement with any future carbon emissions management would further toughen the incentive to move towards cleaner electricity creating technologies (Langwith, 2009).
ing that a few decades onwards, there is the possibility of oil becoming a secondary energy source,
While the first article I concern myself with predicts an increase in gas prices, the second article confirms an increase in the price of oil. From the onset, the first article, titled Increased Gas Prices? Don't Blame Unrest in Egypt, points out to readers that they could soon find themselves digging deeper into their pockets for a gallon of gas. However, even though it acknowledges that the unrest in Egypt could be to blame for the increase in gas price, it warns against apportioning all the blame to the said unrest. The second article, titled Market Watch: Oil Prices Rise on US Economic Outlook, confirms an increase in the price of oil most particularly in the London and New York markets.
Peak oil is described as the point in time when the maximum rate of petroleum extraction is reached, and at this point we assist to a diminution of the resource. Oil is one of the world 's most vital resource, we use it in every aspect of our daily lives, we use it for electricity, gasoline and even drugs. The disappearance of this resource can lead to a major global disaster. In an attempt to identify the potential impact of such a disaster and find alternatives energetic resources, a cloud of researchers started to focus their research around this topic. While the first researches made on peak oil where mostly focused on its plausibility, nowadays researches concentrate on determining the exact period of occurrence, as well as the economic and political impact of this event.
Because private companies and nations have over-estimated oil reserves it is difficult to be exact but these estimates of world oil reserves are close and further research will reflect this. Also, rapid exploitation may have damaged many reserves' wells and will limit production. It may be that we (the world) have much less than is believed! The United States past its "peak oil" point back in the early 1970's ( for further research refer to Peak Oil Crisis Books) and now imports about two-thirds (2/3) of its oil. The U.S. economy and the current American way of life is supported by energy from other nations. Those nations that have not already past peak oil (maximum production) are very near it. In the future, production will decrease while at the same time demand increases. The spread between supply and demand will cause higher prices (for all products),