Gas prices are rising, demand for oil is rising, and yet oil production stopped rising over three years ago. Peak oil may be here, and it’s taking us unprepared.
How long can this oil production level be maintained? When will the decline in oil supply begin? How will that impact already rising gasoline prices, oil prices, food prices and the struggling state of the world economy?
The International Conference on Peak Oil and Climate Change: Paths to Sustainability explores the root cause of rising gas prices, global warming, biodiversity loss and other indicators of global unsustainability.
With high powered, international speakers and authors including Richard Heinberg, Dr. David Goodstein, Megan Quinn Bachman, Julian Darley, Stephanie Mills and Pat Murphy, the uncertainties of energy and climate will be illuminated in this first-of-its-kind international conference.
The event begins with an in-depth scientifically-rigorous overview of the global issues of peak oil, climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and population growth and how these are impacting individuals, businesses, nations, the environment and the world.
Participants then focus on the concepts of sustainability and the associated value systems and cultural visions. A spectrum of breakout seminar presentations led by professionals and experts help individuals, businesses, governments and communities move towards a vision of local cultures of sustainability.
Join with a broad array of professionals, politicians, business leaders, and concerned citizens for this unique high-level international conference that explores the causes of global problems and proposes solutions to move humanity toward lasting paths of sustainability.
Duration : 0:0:25
[youtube Y_QJJTpCcT0]
December 15th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Since they both …
Since they both consumed $30,000, then they are both contributing identically to global consumption, global CO2, global oil depletion, etc.
This is a global economy. It doesn’t matter how the money is spent. In the short term, all spending is equal.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Compare any two …
Compare any two people in the USA that spent exactly the same amount of money in a given year. Their immediate negative impact on the world is identical.
Example:
Person one spent $30,000 in 2007, lives in the burbs, drive an SUV into a city to work.
Person two also spent a total of $30,000 in 2007, but lives in same building where they work, and take the stairs to and from work everyday.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Re: consumption. …
Re: consumption. Economies differ in their energy efficiency, i.e., value created per unit of energy expended, and in terms of specific kinds of energy such as petroleum (the most constrained energy source). Also, within an economy, different industries and individuals generate different value per unit of petroleum. Consider someone who commutes 100 miles by SUV each day to a job. Someone else might walk to work from nearby. Same value added, very different petroleum consumption.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:20 am
I’d like to look …
I’d like to look into multi-way videoconferencing technology at some point. However, at present, the most successful large-scale mass-collaboration projects are text-based (e.g., Wikipedia). Text is much easier for amateurs to work with than video just now. But Moore’s law should change that soon enough.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:20 am
It would be great …
It would be great to have a volunteer set all of this up. If you are volunteering, I could certainly use the help.
Keep in mind that it is CONSUMPTION (via purchases) that uses oil. It doesn’t matter much how the money is used. If it is used to buy something, it’s impact is to increase demand for oil. That is the nature of our global economic system, for better or worse.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Physical travel for …
Physical travel for the purpose of moving information expends many times more energy than moving information through wires. And of course travel requires the most critical type of energy: petroleum. Peak oil proponents should, therefore, be in the forefront of replacing physical travel with virtual travel. Strangely, most of the people who are farthest along with remote collaboration have barely even heard of peak oil. The Wikipedia project is a leading example.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Doubtful. Maybe if …
Doubtful. Maybe if someone voluteers to set it up. No one has volunteered to do that yet. I’ve never done a webcast myself.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:20 am
So will there be a …
So will there be a webcast?