Peak Oil
Peak Oil is the term given to the point in time when the production of oil is at the highest it will ever be.
This doesn’t mean that we’ve run out of oil, but that it will be slower and more expensive to extract which will have massive implications on our current way of life.
Imagine rising petrol costs, rising food costs, rising household fuel costs, rising material costs.
Where Climate Change says “We should change” Peak Oil says “We will have to change”
Visit these sites to find out more:
http://www.powerswitch.org.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2006/05-16/peak-oil-faq.htm
close window
Climate Change
Our world is warming dangerously and there is an near-consensus from the scientific community that it is the fault of our oil-addicted lifestyles.
This means that the way we are living is causing damage to our planet, We are pumping CO2 in to the atmosphere which is increasing the Green house effect and causing the average global temperature to rise which in turn is going unleash a number of not-positive changes in our weather and environment.
Imagine rising sea levels, increasing deserts, decreasing soil fertility, disappearing species and erratic extreme weather.
Climate change says “We should change”
To find out more visit these sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/campaign/climate_change/
close window
Transition Town
The Transition Town initiative is a great way that communities can explore and tackle the dual issues of Climate change and Peak oil together.
A transition town aims to increase their resilience, reduce their dependance on energy and find a new way of life that is positive for us and the world.
The process of coming together to Transition Luton is going to fun and will involve all of us. The first step is for all of us who are interested in doing something about Climate change, Peak Oil and community building to start getting to know each other, and to raise awareness across the town.
Interested?
Sign up to this website
Come a long to one of the Transition Luton events
Tell us what’s going on
Tell others
We should change, we will have to change, and that change can be exciting and good.
Visit these sites to find out more:
www.transitiontowns.org
www.transitionculture.org
close window
‘Significant risk’ of peak oil before 2020
A new report from the UK Energy Research Centre pours cold water on government assumptions that fossil fuels supplies will see us through to 2030. The report is the first independent review of the data, drawing on over 500 previous studies, and concludes that a peak before 2030 is 'likely', and there is 'significant risk' of it occurring by 2020.
However, peak oil campaigners will be disappointed to see their counter-predictions swept away too: “It makes no sense to provide precise forecasts of when a peak in oil production will occur" says author Steve Sorrell. "The data is unreliable, there are multiple factors to consider and a ‘bumpy plateau’ seems more likely than a sharp peak."
That 'bumpy plateau' is already in evidence, and "there is a growing consensus that the age of cheap oil is coming to an end". Price vacillations are here to stay, and supply in the future will be difficult, the report cautions. Although large new oil fields have been found this year, they are not significantly large. Each find of a billion barrels delays the peak by a mere week.
The report is far from alarmist, but it does argue that "the risks presented by global oil depletion deserve much more serious attention by the research and policy communities." (If you've read the government's recent Wick's report, you can't help but agree!) We don't need to wait for the research and policy communities though. At Transition Luton we're thinking through how the end of cheap oil will affect us a town, and working out how to reduce our dependency. If you'd like to know more, come along to one of our events, or sign up to our email newsletter.
Comments