Peak Oil and Energy Security

 Any feedback on Gail’s presentation?  A reminder that the assignment instructions are up on the web site (  We discussed the issue of isolation last time. The Vancouver Foundation did a major study on the issue – see Report.pdf Report.pdf  And the Vancouver Sun also ran a series of articles: look up by title -- Monday A community of strangers; Tuesday Friendships: A tough place to make connections; Wednesday Neighbourhoods: Polite but indifferent; Thursday Communities: A retreat from civic life; Friday Disenchanted demographic: The young cynicsA community of strangersFriendships: A tough place to make connectionsNeighbourhoods: Polite but indifferentCommunities: A retreat from civic lifeDisenchanted demographic: The young cynics  One of the issues addressed in the course is the role of arts and culture in fostering the well-being and sense of place of communities. Nanaimo has its own cultural plan, and there was a meeting last Thursday of artists and others with the City to discuss that plan and how it might be changed. If you want to pursue that topic or want more information, I have contacts.

 Margaret Catley-Carlson, a world-renowned water specialist will be speaking next Monday in the Theatre at 5:30, followed by a reception  Further to our discussion last week, the Library has a great video called Home, which points out that:  if Greenland’s ice cap fully melts, the oceans would rise 7 metres;  many megacities, such as Tokyo, are on coastal plains and would be flooded;  11 of the world’s largest cities are on coastal estuaries, and thus are highly vulnerable to sea level rise;  salt water intrusion could severely impact drinking water supplies;  all of South, Southeast, and East Asia are dependent on the Himalayan glaciers which are melting.

Today

Sweden produces 6 tons of carbon per capita per year in comparison to the U.S., which produces 20 tons.

 See also: co2e_pc&idim=country:SWE&dl=en&hl=en&q=sweden%20co2%20emission%20 trends#!ctype=l&strail=false&bcs=d&nselm=h&met_y=en_atm_co2e_pc&scale_y =lin&ind_y=false&rdim=region&idim=country:SWE&idim=region:EAP:NAC&ifdi m=region&hl=en_US&dl=en&ind=false  Today we’ll focus on peak oil and what can be done about it, and the related issue of energy security.  Relevant books include: The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler, The Oil Depletion Protocol (and others) by Richard Heinberg, and Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller: Oil and the End of Globalization by Jeff Rubin.

 Newman, et al. define peak oil as “the maximum rate of the production of the oil in any area under consideration, recognizing that it is a finite natural resource, subject to depletion.” Pretty much everyone – even the oil companies – agree that peak oil has either happened or is about to.  Despite considerable gains in efficiency – except in the auto industry where many cars get the same mileage as Ford’s original Model-T – consumption has gone up dramatically.

 Our whole economy is based on conventional oil and, according to Richard Miller, exploration manager for BP, “there isn’t anything conceivable that could replace [it],” although oil companies are doing what they can with bitumen, shale, and deep sea oil (remember the Deepwater Horizon blowout?).  The implications for cities and urban regions are enormous, as we have become dependent on the transportation sector to bring food and other products to our doorsteps, and so many of the products we use in daily life are made from oil.

Newman et al. suggest that we need to reduce driving by 25-50%, trucking and aviation by 25-50%, and energy consumption in buildings by 25-50%. In the past, improvements in energy efficiency enabled people to consume more at a cheaper price, so it did not lead to reductions in consumption.

 What kinds of things can be done by cities to address peak oil? A useful resource is  Inspired by the work of Portland, Oregon, Hamilton, Ontario has created a policy framework, but many feel it hasn’t gone far enough. For information on Portland’s work, see rtland's+Peak+Oil+Task+Force&docid= &mid=515C5CE5BABFE588CCBD515C5CE 5BABFE588CCBD&FORM=VIRE2#. rtland's+Peak+Oil+Task+Force&docid= &mid=515C5CE5BABFE588CCBD515C5CE 5BABFE588CCBD&FORM=VIRE2#

 Vancouver Island, to take one example, has gone from 80% self-sufficient to providing about 6% of its own food. What happens when the transport trucks and ferries can’t bring the food in, or when climate change disables areas like the Central Valley of California?  The World Health Organization has defined food security as “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.” Thus, it has numerous dimensions. What can cities and regions do to address food security?