The Oil Depletion Protocol
The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Plan to Avert Oil Wars, Terrorism and Economic Collapse
by Richard Heinberg
This is Heinberg’s third book about peak oil. It presents a simple and elegant proposal, suggested by ASPO founder Dr. Colin Campbell, for managing the decline of global oil production. The protocol establishes voluntary limits for oil producing nations to reduce their output at a measured rate, and for oil consuming nations to agree to reduce their consumption accordingly. This way, the world can work cooperatively to ensure that the transition to a lower energy world is measured and steady and fair, so that we can readjust our economies without too much pain and chaos. It’s probably too sensible an idea to work, but it’s the only suggestion I’m aware of which even attempts to take a proactive approach to the problem of peak oil. I sincerely hope that the world’s governments will see the sense of it and sign on.