Gc isn't that essentially what I wrote at 3.35pm? Greens don't believe peak oil has arrived and are trying other arguments/strategems to reduce hydrocarbon use.
To my knowledge no significant green group believes peak oil has arrived or is likely to arrive soon. Some would like to introduce measures to bring it nearer.

My belief is that we will use every drop of oil and puff of natural gas that can economically be exploited, then we will turn back to coal. However I must desist from annoying the likes of TinyCO2 who apparently knows much more about this subject than I do. So au revoir.

Jan 1, 2017 at 3:56 PM | Supertroll

I would love to hear more about "Peak Oil Theory" and how it has evolved. I learned at school in 1973/4/5 (ish?) that oil was going to run out by 2000. I did do a bit of economics at school in the early 1980s, by which time North Sea oil and gas was on-stream, and Peak Oil was never mentioned.

I did read bits of the Brandt Report from 1980, saying how the Northern Hemisphere, plus Australia and New Zealand had grown rich, leaving the Southern Hemisphere behind, and the North must pay for the South. In the early 1980s, no one knew how that would be achieved..

You're not welcomed when you act in a way that matches your new title. At the moment you're playing the QI game where you argue a fine technical point about 'peak' versus a generally used version. You may have never heard environmentalists or other industry hating people try to argue that there's no point extracting FF because it will either run out or society will ban its use but we have. Are you calling us liars? No, I just think you're being pedantic but if I used your trick, I could take it that way.

Jan 1, 2017 at 3:35 PM | Supertroll

Do a google search on "Peak Oil" and "Guardian".

The Guardian, and many others, switched to "Keep it in the Ground", having realised Peak Oil had failed again, and it would help against Shale Gas.

The Guardian has also been keen on it's Disinvestment Campaign. Trump is proposing to Disinvest from Climate Science as a result!

Tiny CO2. I have never before seen peak hydrocarbons being linked to greens. As I explained to GC climate alarmists assumed a continued cornucopia of hydrocarbon resources rather than future restrictions on supply, which would make their projections null and void. I used to be considered quite an authority on peak oil theory, although I never published - so I certainly was not arguing for argument's sake. But clearly I am still unwelcome here by some, even when I can write with some authority.

Supertroll, that is the point! Economics!

I have no memory of it, perhaps you do, or have greater knowledge. When was the possibility of oil/gas beneath the North Sea first considered? What made it economic to go and look? OPEC 73-74?

Oil within the Arctic Circle is being extracted. Further investigations of oil reserves beneath the waters of the Arctic have been abandoned because the oil price fell, and the ice has NOT melted as forecast by Climate Science.

If people want to promote wind/solar, that is fine. I am a yottie, with practical experience. An alternative to oil/gas/coal is required at some point in time, but wind and solar can never provide what the market demands.

Supply and Demand Economics has been meddled with by Government Policy to make UK coal reserves unworkable. Some of that does go back to the Miner's Strikes in the early 1970s, and then 1980s. Blame Labour, blame Conservatives, blame Arthur Scargill, blame Mrs Thatcher, blame whoever, whatever, whenever. It happened years ago. The most recent offenders, have been Miliband, the Climate Change Act and ALL Parties and MPs that supported it.

It does not matter what Trump does on Day 1, or Year , the UK remains at risk of power cuts due to inadequate supply, for at least one more winter, probably five, possibly more.

AK, on several occassions I've seen peak fossil fuel suggested as a way for renewables to be sold to conservatives. Switch now and avoid the rush.

You're still arguing for the sake of it.

Gc. Which Greens have stated that we have reached peak oil? None to my knowledge. In fact they want us to leave the stuff in the ground and threaten industry with creating stranded assets.

"What have your different memories to do with peak oil/peak coal being green constructs?......Many people make the mistake of believing that peak commodity theory only relates to the geolgical availability of the commodity."

That would be the myth that gc described. You're just arguing for the sake of it again AK.

Jan 1, 2017 at 2:39 PM | Entropic Man

As the UK keeps blowing up functional power stations as part of the UK's disastrous "Energy Policy", demand and supply economics have reduced consumption.

As Trump stops funding Climate Science, production will also fall. Very few people will demand more Climate Science, after so much money has already been wasted.

Consumers value reliable power, and pay for it. Consumers do not value Unreliable power or Climate Science, and are fed up with being forced to pay for it.