FROM: Julian Darley
DATE: October 24, 2005
SUBJECT: Unique Awareness-Raising Opportunity
Dear Friend of Post Carbon Institute, Global Public Media and COPAD:
I'm writing to alert you to a unique opportunity to put the issue of Peak Oil squarely in front of your elected representatives in Congress.
On October 25th, U.S. Congressman Roscoe Bartlett will begin a non-partisan distribution of The Oil Age poster to every member of the House and Senate. The poster clearly illuminates the powerful role of oil in our economy and-most significantly-displays in vivid detail Colin Campbell's projections of a near-term peak and decline in global oil production.
I'm encouraging you to write, e-mail or call your congressman and senators, alerting them to Rep. Bartlett's initiative. Please urge them to take a look at this highly relevant informational tool. To help you get started, we've drafted a sample email/letter below.
As many of you know, Roscoe Bartlett has been a strong advocate of peak oil awareness and one of the few members of Congress to talk publicly about the challenges of oil depletion. On September 26th , he hosted an Energy Conference in Maryland that featured presentations by Richard Heinberg, Matthew Simmons and Kenneth Deffeyes.
Post Carbon Institute has long advocated the need to develop local, community-based solutions to the enormous challenges of peak oil. When opportunities arise to increase awareness on a national or international stage, we should not hesitate to seize them. Rep. Bartlett's unprecedented distribution is certainly one of those opportunities. Please take advantage of this moment and don't miss the opportunity.
Kind regards,
Julian Darley
Global Public Media, COPAD & Post Carbon Institute
SAMPLE EMAIL OR LETTER
To find the name, email and mailing address of your senator and representatives, go to www.congress.org and type in your zip code.
Subject: Please review new oil poster from Representative Bartlett
The Honorable [FIRST AND LAST NAME OF YOUR REPS. OR SENATOR]:
I am writing you as my [Representative/Senator] to call your attention to an important new energy-information tool-a poster called The Oil Age that was recently distributed to all members of Congress by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland. The poster illuminates what growing numbers of Americans believe is this country's biggest challenge: the imminent global energy shortfall.
I urge you to take a close look at this poster, which conveys a broad range of facts about world oil production, consumption and trade, and provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the global energy situation.
The poster makes clear that worldwide discovery of oil peaked in the mid 1960s and most experts now say that an all-time peak in global oil output is probably just a few years away.
The time has come for our elected leaders to confront the global energy shortfall head on. I am therefore concerned that until recently, only one member of Congress--Rep. Bartlett--was publicly discussing global oil depletion and working to address its impacts. His laudable work in this area begs the question of your own office: What actions are you taking now to address and mitigate the imminent global oil peak? Join the growing number of lawmakers who now have recognized that the implications for our country are profound.
I am part of an increasing constituency that demands clear answers to these questions and seeks concrete solutions to an energy problem that now threatens change everything about our way of life.
Thank you for considering this call to action.
Regards,
Your Name
City, State
Contact Information
TALKING POINTS
When discussing peak oil with public officials and influencers
Peak Oil is real
- Oil discoveries peaked in the mid 1960s
- Oil production peaked in the U.S. in 1970-1971
- 33 of 48 oil-producing countries have fallen into permanent production decline
- We now consume more than four barrels of oil for each one we discover, and the gap is trending larger every year
- A growing consensus of experts are predicting peak oil in less than 10 years, and many claim we may be hitting a peak plateau right now
The media is starting to take notice
- "The Beginning of the End of Oil?" by Peter Maass, New York Times Magazine, Aug. 25, 2005.
- "The End of Cheap Oil" by Tim Appenzeller, National Geographic, June 2004.
Even big oil is starting to admit a long term supply problem
- Chevron's "Will you join us?" advertising campaign
Americans are part of the oil depletion problem
- Americans comprise just 5% of world population, but we consume more than 25% of the world's oil
Most public officials are ignoring the problem
- Few politicians have publicly addressed this critical issue
- Neither Republicans nor Democrats mentioned Peak Oil during the last election
- Public officials have ignored a landmark report sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (Energy Information Administration) that warned of serious impacts if society does not address peak oil immediately. "Peaking of World Oil Production: Impact, Mitigation and Risk Management" by Robert Hirsch, SAIC, Feb. 2005.
One exception is Roscoe Bartlett
- Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's efforts to spread peak oil awareness include a series of five Special Order speeches in front of the House (covered by C-SPAN), numerous interviews, and sponsorship of a major Energy Conference in Sept. 2005 featuring experts such as Kenneth Deffeyes, Richard Heinberg and Matthew Simmons.
Alternatives may not be enough to cover the shortfall
- Though they constitute a proven alternative, solar and wind energy today contribute less than 0.01% of world energy production. It is unclear if these sources can scale enough to make up for yearly oil depletion
- Tar sands: are a mining or melting operation which offers a much poorer return on energy invested than conventional oil
- Oil shale: has been comprehensively examined by major oil companies and has internal physical and chemical problems of essentially insoluble nature
- The hydrogen economy: hydrogen is not an energy source. As we become short of energy, we should not be looking for responses which waste large amounts of energy
- No new nuclear facilities have been built since 1976. This option is still years away from adding new electricity capacity. It will not solve shortages of transportation fuel.
