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Page added on December 13, 2011
Facing Peak Oil and Peak Gas: In Search of the Least Evil
The U.S. oil geologist Marion King Hubbert predicted, already in 1956, that the global production of oil will reach its all-time high roughly when we have used one half of the world’s oil reserves. This is because geologists tend to find the biggest fields first, and because oil wells become tired during the production phase. The more is taken out, the more difficult it gets to bring the remaining oil to the surface. The world’s production of crude oil may have peaked in July 2008, at 74,666 barrels per day. In other words we may already have passed the feared Peak Oil, without almost anybody noticing the event. This is because the production of natural gas is still increasing, and growing amounts of gas have been converted to various oil-replacing products, writes Risto Isomaki, an environmental activist and awarded Finnish writer whose novels have been translated into several languages.
Part of the problem can and must be solved with energy-saving measures and by improved energy efficiency, but it seems that we also need to increase our production of biofuels.
Biofuels have their own problems. They often require heavy doses of nitrogen fertilizer. This produces nitrous oxide, which is a strong greenhouse gas. Large-scale conversion of forested areas and tropical peat lands to biofuel plantations would have catastrophic consequences both for biodiversity and for climate.
However, biofuels can also be produced in ecologically and socially sustainable ways. We have millions of hectares of seriously eroded fields and grazing lands that have lost most of their organic carbon and fertility. Such lands could be distributed to landless families and converted to multi-storey home gardens producing food and timber as well as raw materials for biofuels. This might be an excellent way to solve the problems related to peak oil and peak gas in a way that also provided a decent livelihood for hundreds of millions of rural families.
(*) Risto Isomaki is an environmental activist and awarded Finnish writer whose novels have been translated into several languages.
5 Comments on "Facing Peak Oil and Peak Gas: In Search of the Least Evil"
DC on Wed, 14th Dec 2011 12:48 am
How dumb can people get. Inceasing the production of any fossil-fuel, or even worse, bio-fools, wont ‘solve’ anything. Last time I checked, increasing the production(and thus consumotpion) of a finite resource only makes it run out faster!! Efficency while nice, wont save you, only useing less in absolute terms will.
Lastly, what kind of enviromental activist thinks that bio-fools for cars are either ecologically sound or sustainable?
BillT on Wed, 14th Dec 2011 1:43 am
Bio fuels are a scam perpetrated by the pimps that feed at the trough of the taxpayer and the stupid. Energy is not gained by turning natural gas into a liquid using corn. It is a net loss in too many ways to count. Without subsidies, it would not even be made.
Tim Spinotter on Wed, 14th Dec 2011 3:42 am
I think there is a problem with the number of barrels of oil at peak production: 74,666. Missing three zeros?
BillT on Wed, 14th Dec 2011 10:42 am
Tim, Yes, 3 zeros are missing. The article is another feel-good story for the uneducated masses. I followed his story until he got to the “however” … and then he stepped into fantasy land.
Harquebus on Fri, 16th Dec 2011 6:54 am
“multi-storey home gardens”. That’s a good one.