Community leaders told of need to plan for diminishing oil supplies, higher cost

Respected urban planner Tim Moerman says the debate over peak oil is done and now it’s time to confront the challenge it presents to the future.

The theory that world oil production would one day reach a peak and start to diminish afterward has been around since M. King Hubbert first floated it in the 1950s.



After years of debate over whether the predictions would come true and if so when, Moerman says there is largely consensus on the issue. Not only are the recoverable oil reserves on earth a finite quantity, scientists believe we have already passed the halfway mark in extracting them.

In fact, since 1985, the world has been using three barrels of oil for every barrel that’s been discovered.

A future in which we can no longer rely on this relatively inexpensive resource, which currently provides 38 per cent of the world’s energy supply, will have significant implications for planners and community leaders, he said.

Times & Transcript