Bicycle Fixation Weblog
[Previous entry: "Bike-Share Program in New York"] [Next entry: "Hemp & Wool Knickers In Stock Now"]
07/05/2007: "More Peak Oil news"
More Peak Oil news, this time from Dr. Colin Campbell, "former chief geologist and vice-president at a string of oil majors including BP, Shell, Fina, Exxon and ChevronTexaco. He explains that the peak of regular oil - the cheap and easy to extract stuff - has already come and gone in 2005. Even when you factor in the more difficult to extract heavy oil, deep sea reserves, polar regions and liquid taken from gas, the peak will come as soon as 2011, he says." He strongly criticizes the recently-published "BP Stasitical Review of World Energy," which claims the earth holds enough oil to continue our global-warming habits for another 40 years at present rfates of consumption.Dr. Campbell counters effectively, noting at one point that "When I was the boss of an oil company I would never tell the truth. It's not part of the game."
Among the tidbits in this cogent report:
In 1999, Britain's oil reserves in the North Sea peaked, but for two years after this became apparent, Mr Leggett claims, it was heresy for anyone in official circles to say so. "Not meeting demand is not an option. In fact, it is an act of treason," he says.So it's not just riding your bike that saves oil (and oil saved is global warming slowed). Making your bike, with its 4 to 6 pounds of steel and 10 to 15 pounds of aluminum and rubber, also saves oil--lots and lots of oil--over making a car.
The Hubbert Curve shows that at the beginning production from any oil field rises sharply, then reaches a plateau before falling into a terminal decline. His prediction that US production would peak in 1969 was ridiculed by those who claimed it could increase indefinitely. In the event it peaked in 1970 and has been in decline ever since.
Manufacturing requires huge amounts of fossil fuels. The construction of a single car in the US requires, on average, at least 20 barrels of oil.
Furthermore, concrete and asphalt have huge embedded energy costs in their materials manufacture as well as their construction--using your bike means you are not creating demand for more paving, which not only wastes energy but obliterates watersheds.
Read the entire article at The Independent.
