One of the favorite phrases used by alarmists as a way to worry us over fossil fuels (besides the CO2 component) is to cite “peak oil”, to make us think we won’t be able to locate additional reserves soon. This graph below was prominently featured in Treehugger.
Only one problem, it is a unitless graph, no timeline, no volume. So, it then becomes not science, but propaganda art. While we were discussing the thread NIPCC, Gleick, heads, sand, water bottles, and all that commenter DirkH found yet another “peak” which seems pretty amusing:
DirkH says: September 1, 2011 at 11:38 am
[Peter] Gleick is head of the Pacific Institute; according to wikipedia, they have discovered “peak water”. While reading about it, I accidentally found a list of peak-somethings on this wikipedia page (near the end):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_water
I like especially “peak soil”. I think it’s time to declare “peak BS”; the moment the production of BS cannot conceivably go any higher and future BS production will dwindle until mankind runs out of BS.
Hey look, another unitless graph from Wikipedia:
Here’s the peakage list. Who knew?
Other resource peaks
I’ve given some extensive thought to what other peaks have been observed or are expected to happen:
Peak Gore (this has already occurred):
When a skeptic blog can kick yer butt on the Internet every day of the week and twice on Sundays, you know nobody but the faithful is listening anymore:
Peak Hansen: (May have occurred this week)
The three strikes rule is well recognized in law and in baseball, with three arrests now has the mighty Jimbo struck out at NASA?
Peak McKibben (This is far into the future)
There’s no limit on crazy pronouncements o_O especially when combined with Keith Olbermann.
Peak Public Opinion on Global Warming (Occurred in 2008, according to Gallup poll)
Peak Pikas (Cancelled, told ya so)
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Excellent Post. A major tip of the hat to both Dirk and Anthony. I hope Josh can do a “Peak BS.”
Hat tipped really fun Peak Gore 😀
Hansen and Tyrone B. Horneigh-Separated at Birth (the hat)..
This fits in nicely with a paper I am going to submit to Nature. My hypothesis is that increasing CO2 in the atmosphere causes an increase in irrational behavior and asinine asinine statements. I will call my theory “global dumbing.”
Tim
I do believe that “Peak Oil” graph is not stationary, either–It slides to the right as time goes by. (I was told while in geolgoy grad school back in the ’70’s that Peak Oil would be around the year 2000 (“In 30 years!”) yet we have more oil now than ever, especially if you factor in fracking for oil from shale deposits.)
Change the label from Peak Oil to Peak Hysteria and it will be inarguably accurate.
Tim Fitzgerald says:
September 2, 2011 at 9:06 am
It must cause stuttering, too.
At least no one mentioned a tipping point, arrrrgh!
Isn’t all this “peak” nonsense based upon Malthus? Human overpopulation is a very popular green meme which is so ingrained it can’t be challenged by any amount of reason or fact. Peak oil, peak coal, peak water and all just variations of this same theme, with catchy names derived from focus group studies.
Before anybody else come up with this obvious connection… At least there’s a link to Gaia as a fig leaf.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paps_of_Jura
There will never be a peak “peak doomsday” predictions. Someone will always make up something that will require immediate action and transference of wealth into a few of the enlightened’s wallets. It is really easy, just add “peak” to almost anything and make a pseudo-scare. Peak electricity, peak wind, peak happiness, peak prosperity, peak grass, peak milk, peak mining. There is no end to the peaks.
listening to: Badly Drawn Boy: ” A Peak You Reach”
This is great, Anthony! You made my day.
There is a remarkable correlation between rock song quality (as measured by Rolling Stone Top 500), and US oil production. It appears that rock songs are a leading indicator of oil production, as oil production lags rock by about 5 years….
http://boingboing.net/2009/11/11/graph-compares-rock.html
And, for those who suffer from sarcasm dyslexia…./sarc.
Sadly, it means we have passed Peak Rock, and we are nearly out of new good tunes…..
Insert Bieber and Brittany jokes here…
And there’s this one:
http://realitymarbles.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/pikachu1.png
You could have at least added the hurricane season graph too . . . ‘in my opinion’!
Rocky Road:
touche’
Tim
I’d like to see the climate models adjusts for the amount of oil the peak oil people say is remaining. Since we already used 1/2 and oil use will quickly diminish, what’s that do to long range temp forecasts?
You need to include realclimate as well as WUWT. We are on the same page so make the relevant comparison. I heard it said that an army of independants are marching forward. We have no leader and will accept none! Provide the facts only, we will sort out the direction. It will not be an autocracy. Possibly a bit philosophical (if such a word exists), but relevant. Continue the united march for the truth!
Sincerely yours
Is there not something about “peak population” because large numbers of the Globe’s 6.5 billion people do not have access to clean water and sufficiently nourishing food? If the projections are right (by some solar physicists) that global temperatures may fall over the next 20 years or so and the human population may reach 9 billion by 2050, would that not potentially cause more misery to more people? Food production may fall and population increase by up to 50%. I must admit to being concerned about such scenarios.
Let’s not forget the hazard of peak population, pleeeze! A founding member of Germany’s Green Party, paying a visit to my mother in law, happened to meet me there. After exchanging civilities, this old, listless, childless, green spinster discovered three kids playing on my in-law’s ample lawn, sneering at them from a distance.
“Who could be irresponsible enough to add three fresh polluters to our overpopulated world?” she inquired, anticipating consent from the aged relative and self. To which the old relative, true to her form and aware of Europe’s hopelessly ageing indigenous societies, curtly replied, “Why, my son in law is.”
“And his wife,” she added just in time, remembering that it takes all kinds, including her own, to make a world.
Assuming that it’s true (peak, whatever), why is it a problem that must be dealt with? The ‘problem’ invariably solves itself.
While a loose analogy, I’m sure there was a ‘peak’ in the number of horses available for transportation, and the pollution generated by said horses. Somehow, our transportation requirements were met without extreme action and wibbly-wobbly-tube-man arm flailing.
Artificial oil can be generated from coal, which should ease things after the peak. And from natural gas. Or natural gas could be used as a fuel for autos.
Anthony, didn’t I predict they would start flogging “peak oil” when the global warming scam was nearing its end?
This is indeed fantastic news, the end if nigh!