Request Study of Global Oil Supply Decline & Impacts
Have you heard of "peak oil"? It's the time when the world supply of oil begins to decline. Our petition calls on President Obama and Congress to direct the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to begin an immediate scientific investigation and to provide policy advice.
A Petition for the NAS to Study the Decline of Worldwide Oil Production
A Call to President Barack Obama and to the Congress of the United States of America to Commission a Comprehensive Study of Oil Production Decline (termed "Peak Oil"): Facts, Impacts and Mitigation and Preparedness Options to be undertaken by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council (NRC).
Whereas, noted governmental, industrial and scientific authorities indicate the Nation and the World face unprecedented challenge and hardships due to the decline of worldwide oil production;[1]
Whereas, many of these authorities indicate that time is of the utmost importance; [2]
Whereas, many studies also conclude that leaving the problem unaddressed will result in major economic dislocations and the possibility of global economic collapse; [3]
Therefore, we, the undersigned, petition the Congress and the President to commission the NAS, NAE, IOM and NRC to undertake a comprehensive, nonpartisan analysis of the facts, impacts and implications of "Peak Oil" in order to advise the Nation on appropriate responses[4].
Further, we request that this comprehensive study be undertaken with speed and with a formal mechanism whereby independent analyses regarding causes, impacts, and mitigation, risk management, and contingency options will be considered by members of the study committees.
For references and our contact information, please click on "letter."
Have you heard of "peak oil"? It's the time when the world supply of oil begins to decline. Our petition calls on President Obama and Congress to direct the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to begin an immediate scientific investigation and to provide policy advice.
A Petition for the NAS to Study the Decline of Worldwide Oil Production
A Call to President Barack Obama and to the Congress of the United States of America to Commission a Comprehensive Study of Oil Production Decline (termed "Peak Oil"): Facts, Impacts and Mitigation and Preparedness Options to be undertaken by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council (NRC).
Whereas, noted governmental, industrial and scientific authorities indicate the Nation and the World face unprecedented challenge and hardships due to the decline of worldwide oil production;[1]
Whereas, many of these authorities indicate that time is of the utmost importance; [2]
Whereas, many studies also conclude that leaving the problem unaddressed will result in major economic dislocations and the possibility of global economic collapse; [3]
Therefore, we, the undersigned, petition the Congress and the President to commission the NAS, NAE, IOM and NRC to undertake a comprehensive, nonpartisan analysis of the facts, impacts and implications of "Peak Oil" in order to advise the Nation on appropriate responses[4].
Further, we request that this comprehensive study be undertaken with speed and with a formal mechanism whereby independent analyses regarding causes, impacts, and mitigation, risk management, and contingency options will be considered by members of the study committees.
For references and our contact information, please click on "letter."
(Contact petition authors at http://www.oildepletion.wordpress.com)
A Petition for the NAS to Study the Decline of Worldwide Oil Production
A Call to President Barack Obama and to the Congress of the United States of America to Commission a Comprehensive Study of Oil Production Decline (termed "Peak Oil"): Facts, Impacts and Mitigation and Preparedness Options to be undertaken by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council (NRC).
Whereas, noted governmental, industrial and scientific authorities indicate the Nation and the World face unprecedented challenge and hardships due to the decline of worldwide oil production;[1]
Whereas, many of these authorities indicate that time is of the utmost importance; [2]
Whereas, many studies also conclude that leaving the problem unaddressed will result in major economic dislocations and the possibility of global economic collapse; [3]
Therefore, we, the undersigned, petition the Congress and the President to commission the NAS, NAE, IOM and NRC to undertake a comprehensive, nonpartisan analysis of the facts, impacts and implications of "Peak Oil" in order to advise the Nation on appropriate responses[4].
Further, we request that this comprehensive study be undertaken with speed and with a formal mechanism whereby independent analyses regarding causes, impacts, and mitigation, risk management, and contingency options be considered by members of the study committees.
For further information, see http://www.oildepletion.wordpress.com/
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1 US Army Corps of Engineers, Energy Trends and Their Implications for the US. Army Installations. Construction Engineering. Sep 05. ERDC/CERL TR-05-21. analysis of "primary issues affecting energy options" and the Executive Summary, p IV, states "Domestic production of both oil and natural gas are past their peak and world petroleum production is nearing its peak." http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=A440265
International Energy Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2008. English Executive Summary, p. 3 "Current global trends in energy supply are patently unsustainable", and on page 7 "Some 64 mb/d of additional gross capacity - the equivalent of almost six times that of Saudi Arabia today - needs to be brought on stream between 2007 and 2030." http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/docs/weo2008/WEO2008_es_english.pdf
2 US Department of Energy: Peaking of World Oil Production: Feb 5, 07. DOE/NETL-2007/1263. p6 "The mitigation of the post peaking oil shortage will require extremely large-scale action, starting roughly 20 years before the onset of peaking" http://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analyses/pubs/Peaking%20of%20World%20Oil%20Production%20-%20Recent%20Forecasts%20-%20NETL%20Re.pdf
3 DOE NETL. Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, & Risk Management. February 2005 Hirsch, R.L., Bezdek, R., Wendling, R "... the failure to act on a timely basis could have debilitating impacts on the world economy." p.60 http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/others/pdf/Oil_Peaking_NETL.pdf ; also see (1) above.
4 US Government Accountability Office, Report to Congressional Requesters. Crude Oil. Uncertainty about Future Oil Supplies Makes It Important to Develop a Strategy Addressing a Peak and Decline in Oil Production. February 7, 2007. GAO-07-283. In the Highlights section , "no coordinated federal strategy for reducing uncertainty about the peak's timing or mitigating its consequences." http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07283.pdf
I sign this petition, because authoritative and relevant research should be applied to the dealing with the problem. I also believe that more public debate should be supported. Although it is getting late in the game, panic, hopelessness or cynicism are not helpfull in dealing with the problem. We must organise ourselves in a civil and right way, on a *just* roadmap to steady state economics. The education, organisation, good governance and hard work of all concerned in society will be decisive, I expect.
I first heard about the concept of peak oil in 1998, but I began appreciating the urgency of the problem in 2004. It seemed very odd that so few people seemed to know or care about the issue.
because it impacts everyones lives
If we think the economy is in trouble now, this will bring about an entirely new reality. And the trouble will be irreversible.
Years ago in college- early 1990s.
It worries me that the USA has no plan in place to deal with the energy predicament we face -- the end, not of oil, but of CHEAP oil. Have you ever stopped to think about how much we depend on cheap oil and what things will look like in its absence?
I first heard about peak oil in 2003 when I read a book by Richard Heinberg called "The Party's Over." Since then I have followed the ongoing discussions on a website called "The Oil Drum." It seems to me that assigning a White House staffer to monitor and report on the discussions there would be well worth the effort.
I have been reading about peak oil, energy and climate issues for five years. Most friends and local county governemnt, and private business folks I know don't realize the implications of these issues. If we are to devise a national plan to cope with these issues, it must begin soon so we can start educating and implimenting.
The potential impacts of Peak Oil as they apply not only our nation but the entire world are dire, and solutions to this wickedly complex, truly enormous problem appear to be quite fleeting. This dilemma our civilization faces cannot be treated lightly, and the eventual demise of our society - not simply our superficial, material 'quality of living', but the fabric and infrastructure of the system of enterprise that enables our survival - cannot be considered a tolerable option. Nonetheless, without immediate intervention, social disintegration appears inevitable. In ten years time, we will know if life as we know it - life as we've known it for the past generation - will persist or terminate. It is within that window of time that we must act, and the sooner the better. I am adding my name to this petition on the slim hope these concerns will be openly acknowledged by this administration, and that solutions will be vigorously pursued through all available channels, private and public.
I was first made aware of the problem some time in late 2007.
At 78. I might be dead before things get really bad but I have six very young grandchildren. I'd like each of them to have a decent life.
I first became aware of the "end of oil" issue after the 1973 oil crisis but I've been reading a lot more about it in the last decade or so.
Supplies of oil are inevitably limited, and the evidence is that limits will be felt sooner rather than later. Given this reality, coupled with the need to curb oil use due to global warming impacts, it is essential that we begin making a transition to different and more sustainable energy sources and ways of organizing our economies and societies.
I have known about peak oil for two years. That is when I saw the film, A Crude Awakening, The Oil Crash
We need to work to stop mass die off of humans.
I have known about peak oil for 5 years.
Why is the decline in the world supply of oil important to you? Peak Oil is the number one issue that needs immediate attention at all levels of government.
When did you first hear about "peak oil"? Been aware of "Limits to growth" for 40 years. Peak Oil since 2005.
The potential of Peak Oil to disrupt the global social order is immense. We have built the present social system on a petro chemical grid which is now beinging to crumble and we need to fundamentally reconfigure our way of life. In my estimation, Peak Oil (resource depletion), Climate Disruption (waste build), Population and Consumerism are the Four Horseman of the 21st Century.
I think I first started reading and teaching about this around 95 or 96 -- I can't remember, I'm getting old:)
Peak Oil is important to me because I want to live a civilized life. If the world doesn't switch to renewable energy soon, civilization will collapse.
I first heard about Peak Oil between ten and fifteen years ago.
i,ve children
2007
I'm gravely concerned over the rapid rate at which we are consuming natural resources, such as oil and coal, which took much longer than our lifetimes combined to mature beneath the earth's surface. Our consumption will only escalate and and not letting go of oil in order to pursue alternatives will only prolong the destruction being done to our mountains and our land.
I heard about peak oil last March at a conference in Washington D.C. It's a real issue; we cannot keep trying to wrench oil out of our rock!
Because we have done almost nothing to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, our economy is now vulnerable.
I first learned about peak oil in 1954. Now it's hear.
As a citizen and as a Christian, I am concerned about our shortsighted overuse of the planet's resources.
Our prosperity is built upon our access to cheap energy. The economy has grown for decades yet our happiness has not increased. Now is the time to focus on a new type of prosperity- one that connected us with our community and to the Earth.
I first heard about peak oil two years ago. It is unfortunate that it takes so long for our leaders read the signs of the times.
I would like to see the US use it's precious natural resources more wisely. The time for overconsumption has ended. We need to figure out how to power down on many levels. Let's start with an authentic response to peak oil and then tackle other peak minerals that have been extracted world wide. Let's give Earth a chance to rest and regenerate.
The decline of world oil supplies is most important to me for the sake of my children and grandchildren. They will be most impacted. Our government MUST agressively and with expediency determine: a. how much oil, now available and total reserves, do we have under the control of the United States? b. where is this oil located, i.e. on land (the 50 United States) and off shore (all coasts)? c. what barriers must we remove to seek this oil? d. what oil, now available and total known reserves, are known worldwide?
I've known about peak oil for several years.
Peak oil will most deeply impact countries like the U.S. where so much of the economy and food production is dependent on oil. People here are not prepared in any way for the difficult times ahead. This study will go a long way in helping people in the U.S. understand what is coming down the pike.
America as well as other nations need to more strongly move towards other energy sources. The creation of the other industries will assist in transitioning us from an "oil" based economy to a sustainable energy supply. The entire world is going to be impacted with dwindling resources and if we do not do this now, we will have turmoil in all aspects of our lives. America did not take the wake up call from the 1973 oil crisis and look what has happened to our automotive industry, we have fallen behind to foreign manufacturers and lost out on billions for our own economy. Our nation has the opportunity to get back in the game in this industry if we continue to pursue the different alternatives which are already here.
I first heard about "peak oil" about 25 years ago.
The consequences of Peak Oil will shake our high-energy society and modern civilization like no other event - other than nuclear war, which it may well precipitate. It's probably already too late to avoid a very unpleasant transition, but it will be even worse if we ignore this opportunity to mitigate its consequences.
I originally learned of the concept in the 1970's, but started studying it seriously in the mid 90's.
Together with containment of nuclear weapons, this is clearly the most important issue of our generation. Failure on this front will mean untold disaster. Addressing this issues will help solve energy, environmental, and geopolitical problems which are intertwined. I am at a loss wondering why this has been placed on the back burner.
We need to find a new resource of energy that is both economically and environmentally safe as fast as possible
The US can change to sustainable energy use, and we must do this if we want technology-based civilization to continue. The government at each level must start to financially support real education in math and science at all levels (Kindergarten through advanced research) for this to happen.
Peak oil and global climate change: I do not want these to be the 'inheritance' we leave to the world's future generations. Right now it seems as though the number of those future generations will be extremely limited....
My Childrens sake
2006-2007
I first heard about peak oil a number of years ago. It appears that careful research, graphs, tabulations of oil flow, how long the fields have been producing, rate of decline in many fields, how much is injected into them and lack of new investment all point to a problem coming between supply and demand in this fossil fuel.
I own and run my own small buiseness in the construction industry in n.s.w Australia and I am acutely aware of how dependent economies and life in general is on fossil fuels and a change in the dynamics of supply would make the financial crises we are still in the middle of look like a sunday afternoon picnic.
about 4 years ago.
We will all be affected by the decline of oil in the near future. If no one in power knows about, or cares about it, it is only up to us in our local communities to make a difference. We can only do so much. We need someone to speak for us to make a real difference for the whole nation.
I first learned about peak oil my freshman year of college in a Conservation Ecology class.
Because the decline is negated by so many, because the concept of peak oil is so specific that you have to pay attention to it if you want to understand his implications. The concept of Peak Oil leads to disillusion quicker than Climate change. I’m so sad there is no wisdom at all among our leaders.
It's a long time that I'm conscious of the Limits To Growth but it’s recently that I learned to know about peak oil. I think it was in 2008. I also think that peak oil has happened in 2008.
The Long Emergency
Peak oil identifies the time of great decrease in civilization's growth. Because modern industrial countries are about 70% dependent on high energy liquid energy sources, post peak oil may well be a time of apocalyptic readjustment. Non renewable energy sources can support about 1/3 of existing world population. Renewable energy sources do not have complete (non renewable) replacement capability and the logistics of transitioning to renewable energy are so great that decades may be required for implementation. There are already signs of developing famine worldwide and grain reserves are the lowest in recent history. The signs of apocalyptic developments are there to be recognized but an authoritative statement by the NAS should help speed proactive developments.
I first heard aboput peakoil over ten years ago.
Why is the decline in the world supply of oil important to you? Our way of life and existence has been created around fossil fuel. Failing to address Peak Oil and find adequate substitutes invites havoc.
The world is addicted to oil, a finite resource. Our present use of this finite resource is totally unsustainable. Anyone who thinks infinite growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist.
When I read Walter Youngquist's superb book, "Geodestinies" in 1997. I didn't become aware of another great book 'til later, but William Catton's 1982 book, "Overshoot: the Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change" puts the whole subject of resource depletion into sharp focus. Catton has quietly been preaching the dangers of overshoot for more than 30 years. Could it be that at last, someone is listening? Thanks for organizing the petition and let's hope the Big O and his team wake up and smell the coffee. THAT would be change we can believe in.
After oil peaks we will not be able to sustain the same societal forms we currently use without intense suffering, poverty as well as frequent opportunities for fascism to take root.
2004.
Because if effects how much I will have to pay at the pump
Just now at least in tne way it is used here I have heard the term used before but when I can not tell you specificaly
This is so important... to stress our need to move to non fossil fuel energy ...
Richard Heinberg I think...
Our entire way of life depends on cheap energy and if this cheap energy dries up (figuratively) the world will face drastic convulsions as it has never faced before. It will be like the old Chinese curse, "May you live during interesting times".
I read about declining world oil stocks in Foreign Affairs Quarterly in the early '70s; it has not been a secret but the world appears not to care.
Hopefully an offical study will help people understand how serious peak oil is.
10 years ago and later the DVD "End Of Suburbia"
