Nafeez Ahmed on peak oil

[xmasdale]

Dear friends,

This last week the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its World Energy Outlook 2010, which, largely unnoticed by the world's media, argued that in all probability that world oil production has already peaked in 2006.

At the IPRD, we have two takes on the IEA's conclusions. One is positive - that the world's top energy watchdog is confirming the reality of peak oil is highly significant. Particularly important is that the IEA argues we are already in a 'post-peak' world. The other take is far more critical. The IEA underestimates the gravity of the implications of peak oil, due to a firm faith in the potential of unconventional sources - and as a consequence its forecasts do not account for the kind of shocks and crises the 'post-peak' economy will be vulnerable to.

IPRD Executive Director Dr. Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, also author of our new book - A User's Guide to the Crisis of Civilization: and How to Save It (Pluto/Macmillan, 2010) - published two opeds this Friday to explore these slightly different perspectives of the IEA report and its implications for international stability.

Read Dr. Ahmed's piece in yesterday's New Statesman, "The age of cheap oil is over". And please do drop by the New Statesman website and engage constructively in the discussion now unfolding in the comments.

Also read Dr. Ahmed's piece in yesterday's Le Monde Diplomatique, "The end of cheap oil".

Finally, on the same subject, this October the IPRD was honoured to publish our exclusive report on the peak oil question, by one of the world's leading experts, former BP geologist Dr. Colin Campbell. Apart from offering an incisive exploration of the inherent link between energy and the economy, Dr. Campbell concludes that the world most likely peaked in conventional oil production between 2005 and 2008, and that we are now inhabiting the "Second Half of the Oil Age." Read his report, The Post-Peak World.

Balanced and informed mainstream coverage of this issue is very hard to find. Despite a small team and a tiny budget, we are successfully pushing more informed and critical analysis of our civilizational predicament into public understanding. We will greatly appreciate your support of the IPRD's modest efforts by forwarding these links to your networks!

And soon to come, hopefully later today... news on Dr. Ahmed's official book launch event for the 8th December 2010. Book that date in your diaries, if you can!

Thank you and kind regards

The IPRD team