Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak

Professor Deffeyes talked about his book Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert’s Peak, published by Hill and Wang. In 2001, he was among the first to warn of the upcoming oil crisis using techniques used in 1956 by petroleum geologist M. King Hubbert, who formulated that the world’s oil production would reach its peak in 2000 and begin to decline rapidly until the global fossil fuel supplies went dry. These techniques were used to predict the oil crisis of the 1970s. Mr. Deffeyes believes that the world’s oil production would peak at the close of 2005 and that the eventual absence of fossil fuels would have a devastating and potentially catastrophic effect on world economies. The book also lists the potential replacement fossil fuel energy sources and the ways in which they can be utilized effectively. He illustrated his talk about oil production with graphs and slides. After his presentation Professor Deffeyes answered questions from members of the audience. close