The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Plan to Avert Oil Wars, Terrorism and Economic Collapse

by Richard Heinberg, Colin Campbell (Foreword)

Since oil is the primary fuel of global industrial civilization, its imminent depletion is a problem that will have a profound impact on every aspect of modern life. With-out international agreement on how to manage the decline of this vital resource, the world faces unprecedented risk of conflict and collapse.
 
The Oil Depletion Protocol describes a unique accord whereby nations would voluntarily reduce their oil production and oil imports according to a consistent, sen-sible formula. This would enable energy transition to be planned and supported over the long term, providing a context of stable energy prices and peaceful cooperation. The protocol will be presented at international gatherings, initiating the process of country-by-country negotiation and adoption and mobilizing public support. To this end, this

• Provides an overview of the data concerning Peak Oil and its timing
• Briefly explains the protocol and its implications for the reader and for
decision-makers in government and industry around the world
• Deals with frequently asked questions and objections
• Looks forward to how the protocol can be adopted and how municipalities and ordinary citizens can facilitate the process

Timely and critically important, The Oil Depletion Protocol is a must-read for policymakers and for all who seek to avert a Peak Oil collapse.

Genres: Economics

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Richard William Heinberg is an American journalist and educator who has written extensively on energy, economic, and ecological issues, including oil depletion. He is the author of 13 books, and presently serves as the senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute.

Reviews

[Bruce Luyendyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a continuation of the theme of Heinberg's earlier books on peak oil - "The Party's Over", and "Powerdown". A big difference however, is the air of optimism the book has compared to the doomsday tone of the previous two. Not that we are not facing serious times and soon (he documents very well how petroleum dominates all of modern society), this book presents a plan to deal with it beyond the unrealistic rescue scenarios such as oil sands, wind-for-all, and the notion that Sun can supply 5,000 times the energy we need, etc. The idea that nations will control and also decrease their use of oil through international agreements seems at first blush preposterous. However, in chapter 3 he shows how a depletion protocol can mesh with a Kyoto -type protocol for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The result is as two-fer; adjusting to decreasing supplies of petroleum while at the same time decreasing emissions through an international treaty. The fact that the U.S. has not agreed to Kyoto does not mean it is dead in the water; well over 100 nations are on board. Coordination of a depletion treaty with an emissions treaty makes solid sense and is I hope, inevitable.

[Trilety Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you want to understand Peak Oil - and you should - it'll give a great background to the problem/issue thereby making you more capable of discussing Peak w/ friends, colleagues, govt officials, etc