I don’t often blog about other people’s work, but in this case I must make an exception. For my money, there is no one in the world more expert on the subject of peak oil than Dr. Colin Campbell, a petroleum geologist who worked with Oxford University, Texaco, British Petroleum, Amoco, Shenandoah Oil, Norsk Hydro, Total Fina, and the Bulgarian and Swedish governments. He is the author of two books and more than 150 papers, and was the founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas (ASPO).

A paper Dr. Campbell authored with petroleum analyst Jean H. Laherrère in the March 1998 issue of Scientific American, “The End of Cheap Oil,” has been widely credited with launching the subject of peak oil into global awareness.

In my early years of studying peak oil, I devoured Dr. Campbell’s work, as he was one of the very few analysts who did detailed work on oil data, and never failed to explain his sources and his reasoning. From 2001 to 2009, he published a monthly newsletter with his continually updated model of world oil and gas supply, in-depth profiles of oil and gas producing countries, energy-related news items, wry observations on the state of the world and the peak oil story, and just a dash of dry British wit.  I anticipated those newsletters with the eagerness of a child looking forward to Christmas, and read every word of every issue. (Those of you who have followed my blog since 2001 will recall that I frequently linked to those newsletters.)  All 100 issues of it are now archived at ASPO Germany.

The extent to which I have stood on Dr. Campbell’s shoulders in my peak oil work cannot be overstated, and it has been my great privilege to correspond with him from time to time. (He also reviewed my book Profit from the Peak, and gave it a very generous endorsement.)

Campbell’s pithy description of the peak oil problem is one that anyone can understand: “As any beer drinker knows, the glass starts full and ends empty and the faster you drink it the quicker it’s gone.”

Dr. Campbell is now retired, although he still writes occasionally on peak oil. Most recently he published a paper for The Institute for Policy Research and Development (IPRD) entitled “The Post-Peak World” (Oct. 28, 2010), which I wish every economist and policymaker in the world would read.

It was my pleasure to connect him with the good folks at Jim Puplava’s Financial Sense Newshour recently, and Jim’s podcast interview with him was published today. I can’t recommend it highly enough. You can listen to it here:

The Coming Oil Crisis & Why You Should Care

I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Eric Garland (@ericgarland), a futurist and consultant I have come to know on Twitter. (See his blog: Competitive Futures)

His audience is interested in understanding the important issues of the future, so we discussed the meaning and import of peak oil, the relationship of energy to food supply, the future of the airline and transportation industries, the inevitability of relocalization, the role of the military in energy transition, investing strategies, and how to prepare oneself to be resilient in an increasingly challenging future.

This audio interview is in three parts, below the fold.

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I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Pupalava program this week, to discuss the tightening forecasts for peak oil; why drilling new, smaller fields can’t keep up with the depletion of the mature, giant fields; why the US leadership refuses to acknowledge the peak oil problem; and why investors seem to have turned their backs on oil and gas this year.

You can download the show (16 minutes) here:

RealPlayer | WinAmp | Windows Media | MP3

I had the great pleasure of taping a video interview with my friend Paul Denlinger last week, which is now hosted at StockTwits.tv. Paul is a truly international guy, who has spent his life in the US, the UK, and China, and I met him on Twitter (@pdenlinger). A trenchant observer of global politics and a student of peak oil, Paul offered some excellent insights on the relationship of the US and China, including currency issues, our collision course on energy, China’s massive infrastructure building programs, China’s aging population problem, the rare earth metals sector, and other subjects.

As always, I am grateful to StockTwits for their continued support of my work, and helping me to get video published!

Watch the video below the fold.

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Jim Puplava featured Robert Hirsch for a long, in-depth interview on his Financial Sense program last weekend, which I recommend to the attention of anyone interested in peak oil. It covered a full range of the topic’s complexity, including data on reserves, production, discovery and demand;  economic implications; the reasons why the US Government has maintained silence on the issue while other developed economies are grappling with it; and the likely responses to the crisis as it unfolds over the next couple of years–including rationing, priority allocation, and interruption of food supplies. You won’t find a better or more expert testimony anywhere. Listen to it here:

RealPlayer | WinAmp | Windows Media | MP3

Hirsch is the co-author of a new book on peak oil, designed for an educated layman audience, entitled The Impending World Energy Mess. He is a Senior Energy Advisor at MISI and a consultant in energy, technology, and management. His primary experience is in research, development, and commercial applications. He has managed technology programs in oil and natural gas exploration and production, petroleum refining, synthetic fuels, fusion, fission, renewables, defense technologies, chemical analysis, and basic research.

I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Pupalava program today, to discuss several new forecasts of peak oil (meaning all liquids) in the 2015-2020 time frame, including a leaked German military study on peak oil recently reported in Der Spiegel,  an interview with Robert Hirsch, comments by veteran oil analyst Charlie Maxwell, a repeated warning from the IEA‘s executive director Nobuo Tanaka that “the age of cheap energy is over,” and an editorial by energy analyst Anas Alhajji on the inability of OPEC to meet growing world oil demand. I wrapped up the interview by revisiting my March 2010 article, “‘Peak Demand,’ Yes, But Not The Nice Kind.”

You can download the show (1 hour) here:

RealPlayer WinAmp Windows Media MP3

My segment begins at 38:41

I had the great pleasure of videotaping a long conversation with KrisCan in mid-July, which is now online in seven parts. Topics included the Deepwater Horizon spill, the implications for U.S. oil production, my critique of various energy policies, and the challenges of energy transition. (more…)

I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Pupalava program today to discuss why officials, the media, and the oil industry have been so lagging in their responses to peak oil; the deep institutional and cultural denial about the implications of peak oil on economics; and the need to reinvent our economic theory and cultural ideals.

For background material on this discussion, see my recent articles:

195 Californias or 74 Texases to Replace Offshore Oil
Another Wake-Up Call for the World’s Biggest Oil Junkie
Officials Wake Up To Peak Oil, Part 1
Officials Wake Up to Peak Oil, Part 2

You can download the show (1 hour) here:

RealPlayer | WinAmp | Windows Media | MP3

My segment is at the top of the program.

To my readers: This is my final article for Angel Publishing and its newsletters Energy and Capital and Green Chip Stocks. I can hardly think of a better note on which to end my run with them. It was a privilege write professionally about energy for the last three-plus years, and their platform offered me a much wider readership and higher profile than I had enjoyed previously. But now it is time for me to move on. Please stay tuned to this space as I sort out my next direction.

–C

In this second part of a two-part series for Energy and Capital, energy analyst Chris Nelder reviews several more recent studies indicating that peak oil is upon us. Government officials and industry are clearly worried about it, but not worried enough to tell Americans the truth.
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For Green Chip Stocks two weeks ago, I surveyed some interesting new utility-scale electricity storage applications, and found a $200 billion market just getting started.
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For Green Chip Stocks last week, I detailed a few battles in the war breaking out between consumers who want renewable power and the fossil fuel industry.
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For Energy and Capital last week, I took a fresh look at how software is enabling the energy revolution by streamlining rooftop solar design, improving home energy efficiency, and putting the “smart” in smart grid.
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I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Pupalava program today to discuss several new reports and warnings about a near-term peak in oil production, the criminal lack of policy response to the threat in the U.S., and the developing oil export crisis.

You can download the show (1 hour) here:

RealPlayer | WinAmp | Windows Media | MP3

My segment begins at 31:00.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do a freewheeling, videotaped chat with StockTwits founder Howard Lindzon on the present and future realities of energy. It was a lot more casual and conversational than any previous media appearances I’ve done  (at 10:30 PM with a glass of Scotch in hand), so it was more fun, if less professional.

Topics included peak oil, the end of economic growth, reversing globalization, oil prices, alternatives, and lots of other topics. View the video (25 minutes) below the fold.

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By special request, my column for Green Chip Stocks last week was a letter to Congress on behalf of the American people, asking for a real energy plan.
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For Energy and Capital last week, I explained why the “peak demand” argument is a good one–but not for the nice reasons.
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For last week’s Green Chip Stocks, I took a critical look at the new Bloom Box fuel cell system, and concluded that it’s a modest improvement over standard natural gas-fired grid power.
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For last week’s Energy and Capital, I drew some lessons from the world’s most beloved sport about how to formulate good energy policy.
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For last week’s Green Chip Stocks, I outlined some of the pieces falling into place, particularly in the area of financing, that are setting the stage for an explosion of distributed rooftop solar in the U.S.
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