How did you find out about peak oil?

by **lowem** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 01:48:14

Lemme see ...

dieoff.org -> energyresources -> lifeaftertheoilcrash.net -> peakoil.com

Hmm. But I can't quite remember how I got to dieoff.org in the first place. Probably one of those contrarian financial websites.

by **supernautica** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 03:38:43

Like keekles, I found lifeaftertheoilcrash.net

by **MattSavinar** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 04:45:31

best way I can describe the way I'm feeling now.[/quote]

I seem to get a good deal of email from folks in the engineering profession. I think they understand the seriousness of the situation once they look at the numbers and the dynamics.

The average person just thinks "The smart scientistst and engineers will think of something. Nothing for me to worry about."

But then the scientists and engineers look at the data, at the difficulties of switiching to new fuel sources, and realize, "Oh sh-t. . . "

As far as the tar sands: I forget the exact year, and the exact number but by 2030 or so, a massive proportion of the world's oil will come from the tar sands.

This means two things:

1. Job up in the tar sands as secure as it's going to get in the years to come.

2. Canada will join the axis of evil around 2030-2040 or so.

Also the feeling you had of "Won't read anymore until after exams" is exactly how I felt.

Once it "hit" me, I was like okay no more reading until after I get my bar results. Until then, I'll pretend that I comfortably believe somebody will come up with a nifty solution.

Because I knew if I had to take the exam twice, there was no way I was going to be able to concentrate if I allowed myself to read about PO. Got the results then went back to reading everything I could get my hands on.

Matt

by **k_semler** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 06:00:28

I found out about Peak Oil from dieoff.org. I originally came across the site from a comment on Slashdot on a story regarding wind turbine generated electricity. After reading dieoff.org, I was totally convinced that PO is imminent, and when TSHTF, we will all be screwed.

by **archaen** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 06:12:05

Guess what Whitecrab, chemical engineer number four. Well only a chemical engineer in training, but close enough. :D

I came across peak oil in a slashdot posting about six months ago which linked to Matt's site. I was pretty dubious at first since the site seemed to be setup to sell a book. No offense Matt, but from a peak oil neophile's point of view your site seemed to be pushing that book pretty hard and was the one thing that cost you credibility in my first run through. I agree with most of your points now, so you don't have another Jay on your hands to duel with :twisted:

. Since then I have been running rampant through all the related sites like a mad man. I just hope the peak gives me time to finish up my degree before the SHTF so I can actually be out there helping to mitigate things. Not to mention earn some precious magic fish economy paper to buy my bunker on a couple of acres of farmland! Well I hope to be posting a lot more and appreciate the commentary at this site. It is by far the best forum I have seen for very level headed and serious debate on any topic.

(Me and my Computer Engineering buddy took a class in Economics together and when we read how capital worked in our monetary system we immediately alluded it to the loaves and fish miracle of Jesus in the bible. Hence the magic fish based economy :D.)

by **Bud Dwyer** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 07:30:55

Googled- for bush.
Found Matt's site.

by tb » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 08:56:10

I found out about it in December, 1997, at a Schlumberger school in Lafayette LA. We were presented with a curve looking a lot like the one by the ASPO. At the time, the projected peak was for 2008, and it was accepted as gospel by us beer- and tequila- soaked field engineers (were were wild as badgers in those days!). Although I gave intellectual assent to the fact of peak oil (hey- it's a finite resource, after all), I did not fully comprehend its implications.

Later, I went to work in the chemical process industry and met a guy who used to work at Chevron USA. We "found each other out" about peak oil during a discussion on whether if the 1998 oil crash was to be the last one. Our conclusion was that perhaps that there may be one more crash, but that would be it. Prices would be on the rise from that point on.

Also, watching the majors consolidate into supermajors and independents form superindependents led me to the conclusion that energy producers were actually scaling down. Exploration would take on a new form- lesser in scale, but so darn expensive that only well-capitalized companies working in concert with governments would be in the game.

I began studying peak oil in earnest about three months ago when gas hit 1.75 USD per gallon here in Big Spring, TX. It was at this time that the full weight of peak oil hit me (specifically from reading Deffeyes' book and Matt Savinaar's website). My studies have gotten me to read the books of Daniel and Revelation again. We are going to be in for a wild ride. I'm hanging on to my hat.

by **Leanan** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 10:04:43

It's really amazing, the many different places people first heard of peak oil. An Aggies football forum??? That's the last place I'd expect to hear talk of the end of oil. (My sister's an Ag. Well, she graduated years ago, but once an Aggie, always an Aggie, right? And it struck me as very conservative place, not to mention one that was deep in the pocket of the oil industry.)

Though I first heard about peak oil when Carter was president, the reason I found my way to this site was DieOff.org. I was hanging out at a site devoted to digital art (CGI, etc.). It was Halloween, and people were talking about what's frightening. Someone posted a link to the Olduvai Theory page at DieOff.org, saying he found it scary because he couldn't think of any way to refute it. I didn't really believe that page - at least, I didn't think it was inevitable - but I started reading more about it. I still don't think it's inevitable, but I fear we're going to have do something drastic to avoid it.

Anyway, I find it interesting that people have found their way to this site through so many different routes. It really suggests that there's growing awareness of the issue.

by **lowem** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 10:33:57

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MattSavinar', 'I') seem to get a good deal of email from folks in the engineering profession. I think they understand the seriousness of the situation once they look at the numbers and the dynamics ...

by **OilBurner** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 10:54:33

If that's the case then I hope the world is run more like Unix than Windows?? :lol:

"Warning. This economy has peformed an illegal action and will be shut down."

by **Leanan** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 11:43:25

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')mm, I think you've got a point. Perhaps engineers, or maybe geeks in particular, may have some sort of intuitive grasp of all the different numbers and units involved. You know, mbpd (million barrels per day) instead of mbps (megabits per second), tcf (trillion cubic feet) instead of tcp (transmission control protocol), this sort of thing.

by **PhilBiker** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 13:03:51

I was reading the Ultimate Subaru Message Board shopping for a new car (I got a Legacy wagon). Someone had posted a link there to the globalpublicmedia page and I listened. Then I googled "Peak Oil" and read and read and read for months.

by **MattSavinar** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 16:19:26

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lowem', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MattSavinar', 'I') seem to get a good deal of email from folks in the engineering profession. I think they understand the seriousness of the situation once they look at the numbers and the dynamics ...

by **CeeCee** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 17:48:14

I first heard of it about 6 weeks ago when I went to a 1-day workshop on sustainable land use for farmers and horticulturalists. One of the participants kept standing up and asking questions like "But when the price of oil reaches $80 a barrel HOW will you get your produce to market?" He was very insistent with his questions and provided a quick summary of peak oil theory. People at the workshop didn't know how to take him and the atmosphere was a little bit awkward. He left at lunchtime.
But he'd made his point, and then I looked up oil crisis on google > peak oil etc.
Now I am a convert too.
Since then I have bumped into him at the shops (we live in a small community) and the next time I see him I'll thank him, and discuss next steps to get more people aware.
I think at some deep level I have always known this too. It makes perfect sense. My background is a mix of science (physics) and social science (sociology and education).

by **CeeCee** » Tue 20 Jul 2004, 18:53:46

I should add, to my posting above, thank you very much also to all you people who have made the effort to make this information available on the internet.

This scenario would be even worse I think if there was no internet. There are a lot of people who don't have the internet too... I think there is some kind of moral imperative to tell as many people as possible... can you imagine seeing people suffering who are saying "why didn't you tell me earlier?"

by **lotrfan55345** » Wed 21 Jul 2004, 10:29:51

In I htink March or April, Rense.com (i know, i know) gave a link to Matt Savinar's website. While talkin g about peak oil on a computer forum, some guy gave me the link to this website.

by **wzx** » Wed 21 Jul 2004, 10:35:13

I was browsing michaelmoore.com 3 months ago when I followed a series of links & somehow arrived at lifeafterthecrash. And the related peak oil links later.

Didn't think oil depletion was much of a problem initially but matter of simply switching to alternative & renewable resources...and we have a comfortable 40 more years to make the adjutments :roll:

Just finished reading Heinbgerg's "The Party's Over". Didn't think anybody this side of the globe is aware of peak oil...nice to see a forumer from S'pore here too.

by **wzx** » Wed 21 Jul 2004, 10:38:09

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wzx', 'I') was browsing michaelmoore.com 3 months ago when I followed a series of links & somehow arrived at lifeafterthecrash. And the related peak oil links later.

Initially didn't think oil depletion was much of a problem but matter of simply switching to alternative & renewable resources...and we have a comfortable 40 more years to make the adjutments :roll:

Just finished reading Heinbgerg's "The Party's Over". Didn't think anybody this side of the globe is aware of peak oil...nice to see a forumer from S'pore here too.

by **Canuck** » Wed 21 Jul 2004, 11:17:03

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Leanan', 'I') guess I've always believed in peak oil. I was a child during the '70s oil crisis, and I remember hearing that we only had enough oil to last another 30 or 40 years. That seemed like forever back then. All of a sudden, time's running out.

by **lotrfan55345** » Wed 21 Jul 2004, 15:06:49

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wzx', ' ')Didn't think anybody this side of the globe is aware of peak oil...nice to see a forumer from S'pore here too.

How did you find out about peak oil?

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