Peak Moment 132: Peak Oil and Its Effect on Climate Change

The peak oil message is slow to gain acceptance, says energy analyst Randy Udall, because it’s at odds with our optimistic It’s-Morning-in-America mentality. Politicians “Don’t Do Depletion.” Randy describes challenges, mitigations, and exciting opportunities to create a prosperous path to a lower-energy future. In an excerpt from his presentation at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO-USA) conference in September 2008, the co-founder of ASPO-USA points out cornucopian myths about energy that are being shattered by reality. His concern is that the peak oil crisis, while less known than the climate crisis, will impact us sooner, and is not being factored into climate policy decisions. Peak Oil may in fact help moderate the climate crisis.

This is the third of several Peak Moment Conversations videotaped at ASPO-USA 2008. Coming: James Howard Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency, and Julian Darley, founder of Post Carbon Institute. The first was with energy investment banker Matthew Simmons on “Oil and Gas – The Next Meltdown?” The second was “Making Financial Sense of the Coming Energy Crisis” with financial consultant Jim Puplava. Produced September 23, 2008. Episode 132.