ABSTRACT
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................ 93 References ............................................................................................................... 93
Although estimates of remaining resources µuctuate, it is apparent to both energy experts and oil companies that the economic end is near. According to the Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security (ITPOES 2010), we have passed peak oil: these days we consume more oil than can be produced. Meanwhile, few people from the West understand how dependent they have become on energy and that a collapse in the provision would have devastating effects to everyday life. That this is a literally dangerous situation was demonstrated by the two gulf wars and recent turmoil around gas from Russia (‚rst: Ukraine disconnected and second: Belarus threatening to halt the throughput of Russian gas).
