I have been following the Peak Oil debate with great interest and have been reading plenty and I also try to engage others in discussions of the impending crisis. I have a problem with one basic fact.
Having studied several sites, I find the following data on global oil production over the past several years:
2002: 77million bpd
2003: 79.5 million bpd
2004: looks like being about 83 million bpd
How can I argue the fact the we are apporaching a plateau when confronted by this data?!
Many references say that we are presently in the peak years and therefore production should be flattening-out......for goodness sake.....its up, up and away!
(I realise that this means the steeper the fall, once we are over the hump)
How do I answer those that don't believe peak oil is upon us?