Action Briefing Feb 2006 - Mar 2006
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

Energy Beyond Oil

Do we need ready-meals, cheap flights to Spain, 4x4’s, Britney Spears videos, Formula One racing, plastic umbrellas . .? According to Paul Mobbs we'll have to do without these for a sustainable future. What kind of price would that be to save the earth we live on with all the other species?!

'Energy beyond oil' is a discussion that regularly surfaces. It involves a fairly simple argument that relates to the fields of chemistry, physics, economics and the environment. It often results in the participants in the discussion either stuck for words, dismissive of the data, or those who question endless consumerism as being described as environmental extremists.

The Earth is a closed system. It receives energy from the Sun, and the Moon pulls the oceans across the globe to make the tides. Apart from these two, almost constant, energy inputs from the outside the Earth has no other external power sources. Any other energy source we use has to come from the Earth itself . . . and these sources are running out.

Oil is almost at peak production - after that, it’s on its way out. According to Mr Mobbs, within 10 to 12 years, the pumps will no longer be able to suck great volumes of oil from the ground, production will go into decline and it will never rise again. Oil deposits will be exhausted, in terms of oil being a bulk energy resource, around 2050. At the same time, the development of alternative sources of energy is not happening smoothly, and in many places it is being resisted by those who oppose the 'industrialisation' of the countryside.

Energy Beyond Oil is now also a collaborative project between environmental researchers and campaign groups that aims to provide a clear picture of the energy future of the UK, and the globe. The EBO Project is working to provide the public with all the information relevant to these issues, and provide information on some of the things we can all do to reduce the impacts of these projected energy shortages on our lives. In reality, the answer to these problems has little to do with the debate over energy today because the position of the government, or energy groups, is based upon our current systems of energy production and use. Mr Mobbs and his friends argue that the response to these issues is 'business as unusual'. The answer is not changing our sources of energy, but cutting energy use to a level that is physically and environmentally sustainable. It's the laws of physics. You can't create something out of nothing. What's heartening is that some people see this impending realignment of global energy quotas as a great opportunity: a chance to redefine the balance between humans and the planet in order to create a sustainable future for ourselves and the other species with whom we share this place.

BTW: whilst you read this sentence the world, on average, has just burnt another seven to eight thousand barrels of oil.

If you want to know more, or want to challenge Mr Mobbs' view, then do come to the upcoming Birmingham Friends of the Earth speaker evening on Monday 6th February at the Warehouse.

Rianne ten Veen