B.C. Liberal, NDP election platforms ignore peak oil, but Greens note threat

Even though peak oil may pose one of the greatest challenges facing humankind, neither the B.C. Liberals nor the NDP address this issue in their election platforms.

The Greens, however, note the threat of peak oil in their platform for the May 12 election.

The single mention comes on page six of the Green platform, under the heading “Moving Toward Steady State Economics”:

All economies are embedded in and dependent on the biosphere for energy, materials, water and many other ecosystem services. Evidence suggests that the resources and natural systems of our planet cannot sustain unlimited economic expansion. Peak oil, climate change, accelerating species extinction, fresh water scarcity and nuclear power risks are among the more widely discussed threats.

Peak oil refers to the point at which the rate of global petroleum production climaxes, sending the supply of the natural resource into an inevitable, accelerating decline.

Peak-oil experts say the result could be a worldwide economic collapse.

You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.

More on peak oil:
Rex Weyler: Peak oil means sooner or later we'll wake up to a new normal
Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson promises action on peak oil
Vancouver’s long commuters face problems of peak oil
Peak-oil spike reshapes the suburbs
Is B.C. ready for peak-oil refugees?
Preparing for peak oil

Comments

3 Comments

seth

Apr 20, 2009 at 11:12am

None of these parties have anything in their platforms which will have more than a tiny effect on greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar, wind, and tidal power are too intermittent to make a serious dint in GHG's until there is a cost effective storage solution. There are none on the horizon.

Only Geothermal and nuclear can save us and even then it would require a massive World War Two kind of effort with hundreds of new low cost reactors (2 cent a kwh) mass produced every year to have any effect.

Nothing like that has been proposed by any party.

seth

Sonja Wilson

Apr 23, 2009 at 12:08pm

Anyone who is seriously interested in peak oil, sustainable energy sources and carbon tax policy should read this book:
Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air
It is available online for FREE at http://www.withouthotair.com/

Sharon S.

May 11, 2009 at 10:54pm

seth, your name appears everywhere on these blogs. Do you have a life? You seem to be a know it all who actually doesn't seem to know a whole lot .