Speakers: Wally Wight, Rowan Barber and Robert Pekin
Peak Oil – a Positive Place-Making Tool
Production of “conventional” oil has already peaked. To maintain supply of liquid fuels, we increasingly rely on expensive, less energy efficient, and riskier “unconventional” sources and substitutes. We will experience sudden disruptions to supply, volatile fluctuations in demand and price (as we are already seeing), and the inexorable decline in availability over time. The age of cheap oil is over.
Managing these risks involves reducing dependence on oil by rethinking the pattern of urban development, infrastructure and services, and bringing people closer to where they work and access goods and services. Measures needed to manage impacts of oil depletion are exactly the same as those necessary to create more cohesive communities, and for a whole range of other very good reasons.
Peak Phosphorus: Taking the Piss.
The story of Phosphorus is the story of life itself. If Carbon is the building block of life on earth then consider Phosphorus as the “power supply”.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) powers metabolism in living cells. While it is abundant in nature, the available supplies of accumulated resources of mineable phosphate rock are diminishing. Phosphate is a finite resource but it can be recovered, reused and recycled. The engineering required is quite literally: a piece of piss. The real problems now are social, economic, legal & political
Peak Food
Peak Food is the moment in time when per capita availability of food in the world reaches a maximum and then begins to decline. As world reserve food stocks have now fallen to dangerous levels, and increased prices have failed to push up food production, it seems that Peak Food is here. When reserve stocks disappear, panic and hoarding will clear the shelves, adding to the problem. But worse is to come as food production goes into serious and sudden decline for the following reasons:
- climate change
- oil and gas shortages
- cropland losses
- crops used for ethanol and biodiesel
- competition for water
- falling fish stocks
- population increases with millions in Asia eating more meat so needing more land per person when there is less.
The presentation will be followed by a discussion where comments and questions from attendees will be welcomed.
For more information see the attached flyer.
Download the slides for the Peak Oil and Peak Phosphorus presentations or view the presentation on-line.