Energy Future: A Significant Period of Discomfort

Interview with Robert Hirsch on Peak Oil

You were the lead author of a groundbreaking 2005 study on future oil production and declining reserves. How is the situation three years later?

RH: Today, the situation is worse, and the reason for this is that it is now obvious that world oil production is already on a plateau. It has reached a high level, and has leveled off. The point at which oil production will decline is probably not far away.

If the world started (to implement solutions) 20 years before the peak oil problem, we would have stood a very good chance of beating the problem and could have avoided significant negative consequences for our economy. As it turns out, we now don