You might not have heard of 'peak oil' but we are all starting to feel the effects. Peak oil is not about 'running out of oil', there will always be oil left in the ground either because it's too hard to reach or takes too much energy to extract. What we are getting close to is the end of easy to get, cheap oil. If the demand for energy keeps increasing whilst the supply declines it is inevitable that the price will eventually soar. A growing body of independent oil experts have calculated that the peak will occur between 2006 and 2012.

We don't currently have systems in place to replace oil. The key elements of our society from food production, transport, medicines, manufacturing, home heating to construction, all rely on it. When the cost of oil rises the impact on our lives will be huge. Experts predict a recession which will be far worse than anything we've experienced before. This raises the spectre of potential 'oil wars', with powerful countries competing to seize control over the remaining supplies.

We urgently need to start exploring what is needed to make a transition to life without cheap energy. Change is inevitable but if we see it as a time of opportunity and choose to adapt, we have the chance of creating a future with a better quality of life.

Recommended reading

The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrialised Societies by Richard Heinberg

The Last Oil Shock by David Strahan

Preparing for Peak Oil
The Oil Depletion Analysis Centre have released a new report aimed at local government in the UK. Click title above to download a copy.