Peak Energy, Climate Change, and the Collapse of Global Civilization: The Current Peak Oil Crisis

This report is a synthesis of the current state of knowledge on energy resources and global climate and environmental change. The findings clearly indicate that the convergence of peak energy resources and dangerous anthropogenic climate and environmental change will likely have a disastrous impact in the near- and long-term on the quantity and quality of human life on the planet (see synopsis below).

The findings suggest:

• Global conventional oil production likely peaked around 2005 – 2011.
• Peak global production of coal, natural gas, and uranium resources will likely occur by 2020 – 2030, if not sooner.
• Energy resource shortages post-peak oil will likely cause a systemic collapse of global industrialized civilization in the near-term as the abundant fossil fuel energy resources used to develop and support industrialized economies become increasingly scarce.
• Current trends in land, soil, water, and biodiversity loss and degradation, combined with potential climate change impacts, ocean acidification, a mass extinction event, and energy scarcity will significantly limit the human carrying capacity of the Earth.

This report is currently released as an eBook (pdf file). Hard copies are not available yet from the GCCHSD, but the eBook may be freely printed and distributed.

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