ABOUT

Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Enviroblog is a project of EWG Action Fund.

Read about our authors.

FEED

 Subscribe in a Reader

Subscribe by Email

An EWG podcast for environmental health news on the go.

TWITTER UPDATES

TIPS

Did we miss something? Email Enviroblg.

BLOGROLL

STAY CONNECTED

Get our monthly eNewsletter, action alerts, & environmental tips. [Privacy policy, About EWG]

Consumers to FDA: Be there or be square

Relax, it's baby safety month

Toxic cosmetics in teenage girls

FEATURED

Elected officials MIA; Instead Wal-Mart and Burger King protecting your health

Back to school: Are we ready? Are we non-toxic?

Fire retardants: Disproportionate risk to small children

Lead: Celebrate its ban, but don't cross it off your list

Cheatsheet: Bisphenol A

7 ways to reduce your exposure to PBDEs

Ask EWG

What can I do about fluoride in my water?

What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?

What is "fragrance"?

Which infant formula is best?

Are stainless steel water bottles safe?

Is mineral-based makeup safer?

SEARCH

ARCHIVE

select month September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004

« CA City Protects Infants from Rocket Fuel Contamination | Main | Limbaugh Falsely Claims Feds Spend As Much on Environment as on Defense and Homeland Security »

World Oil Production Could Peak Earlier Than Expected

By EWG

A retired oil-industry geologist told a group of conservative Swiss bankers last week that while the world’s supply of oil won’t run out for many years, peak production may come as early as next year, the London Guardian reports.

Colin Campbell’s calculations are about 30 years off the U.S. Geological Survey and the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s), but the former Amoco chief geologist explained that while estimating reserves is scientific, reporting them is political, and company and government results are “grossly unreliable.”

Peak oil is the point at which half the total known existing oil in a given area is used up, after which extraction begins to decline. According to a report last year by the U.S. Office of Petroleum Reserves, world reserves are being depleted three times faster than new fields are being discovered.

There is no consensus as to when the peak will occur, but the worldwide increase in oil demand is undeniable. IEA reports that demand rose faster in 2004 than in any year since 1976, and if current patterns continue, world oil consumption would double by 2035. Prevailing wisdom says that can’t happen, as it’s estimated that 90 percent of all known oil reserves are already in production.

The world has been picked over, and current geological knowledge holds that there are no major fields left undiscovered. Rather than racing on toward the last of the world’s oil and inevitable conflict with other nations that desire it, this is a crucial time for American policy to refocus its energy.

For more information on oil and gas in the American West, please see EWG’s report, “Losing Ground.”

« CA City Protects Infants from Rocket Fuel Contamination |