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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).

Topics include: peak oil, coal, natural gas, uranium, and phosphorus; climate change; environmental degradation; population; food and agriculture; water resources; and the limits of biofuels (including algae-based biofuels).

 

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.

pdf download pdf (15 Mb)

 

All Publications

  • Mórrígan, Tariel. 2010. “Peak Energy, Climate Change, and the Collapse of Global Civilization: The Current Peak Oil Crisis”.     pdf download pdf (15 MB)

  • Hilal Elver, “Water Scarcity and Climate Change”

  • Richard Falk, “A Radical World Order Challenge: Climate Change and Nuclear Weapons,” published in special issue of Globalizations 2010

  • Richard Falk, “Global Climate Change, Human Security, and the Future of Democracy,”
    To be published by Palgrave Macmillan in Global Crisis and the Crisis of Global Leadership, edited by Stephen Gill, 2011

  • Richard Falk, “The World in 2030: Entering the Anthropocene Era,” September 2010, presented at Workshop, India International Center, New Delhi

  • Mórrígan, Tariel. 2010. “Target Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Concentrations: Why Humanity Should Aim For 350 ppm CO2e”.     pdf download pdf     pdf Appendix

  • Mórrígan, Tariel. 2010. “Global Climate Change, Human Security, and Democracy: Overview of Core Issues”.     pdf download pdf

  • Mórrígan, Tariel. 2010. “Climate Negotiations After the Copenhagen: Overview of Emissions Targets and the Copenhagen 5 and Russia”.     pdf download pdf

  • Mórrígan, Tariel. 2010. “Peak Phosphorus: A Potential Food Security Crisis”.     pdf download pdf