Peak Oil refers to the point where the world is at the maximum level of oil production - the peak. This means that no matter how hard we try, we cannot increase the amount of oil we get out of the Earth each day. Soon after the peak, global oil production begins to decline continuously until it eventually becomes just a trickle. Many oil industry experts believe that we are at peak oil production right now.
So what does this mean? Well it is the most important news story of the decade, possibly even the century. For the past 100 years our whole society has been built on cheap energy - mainly oil. Our huge increase in population and consumption levels over the past century has meant that millions of years of accumulated oil has been used up in just 100 years, and other fossil fuels are likely to peak soon after too. Oil and other fossil fuels are essential to our transport systems, our food production (for fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, etc), for industry, for world trade, for electricity and for making every single thing we eat and use every day. When Peak oil is reached, the economic and social effects could be catastrophic as countries that produce oil start hoarding it for themselves because they know it will become more scarce, and shortages of everything from food to medicine to electricity to transport fuel to plastic and other materials, causes huge economic shocks the world over. Many experts believe peak oil will lead to a world-wide economic depression that will be difficult to get out of.
The solutions for peak oil are a move towards using and consuming less, and encouraging local economies and community life in order to minimize unncessary transport and wasteful use of resources and energy. We need to replace fossil fuels with alternative energy sources. This all requires a huge effort from governments, and in Ireland we must start immediately because this country is an astounding 95% dependant on fossil fuels for energy needs. This means that an oil shock could cause widespread economic and social disruption, including disruptions in food supply, blackouts, economic collapse and possibly social unrest. To avoid this we must move quickly towards energy security, building a new energy infrastructure and undertaking massive energy conservation measures.
But so far our political leaders are asleep at the wheel - too busy dealing with the current recession to see the far bigger economic tidal wave on the horizon. A mass movement is needed to demand investment in green energy programs. These solutions will also help solve our economic crisis, creating tens of thousands of "green collar" jobs and developing new industries for the 21st century. As the head of the International Energy Agency said last year, we must leave oil before oil leaves us.
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