Peak oil denial

Just as climate change attracts furious denials, so does peak oil – as the comments on my recent, evidently somewhat contentious, post indicate. “Running out? We’re swimming in the stuff!” the deniers say cheerfully.

Their most common argument is this: that higher oil prices will make it more affordable to drill less accessible deposits, so there


Another argument is to say that people have wrongly predicted a peak in the past. But quite obviously, since oil supplies are finite, there will be a peak eventually. Just because previous predictions were premature does not mean the latest ones are too.

Then there’s the suggestion that we have vast proven reserves to fall back on. In 2004, BP