Shadow Energy Minister Joins Peak Oil Debate

Charles Hendry MP for Wealden joined a debate in Forest Row on 24th September 2007 about Peak Oil and how the community should respond. Highlighting the energy crunch that we face was journalist and environmental campaigner Mike Grenville.

Speaking at a Transition Forest Row event, Charles Hendry MP for Wealden and Shadow Energy Minister said that while “the effect of climate change was apparent” and that “we should move to a carbon free world,” he remained a skeptic regarding Peak Oil.

Grenville highlighted how dependent society has become on fossil fuels. From our clothes, to medicines, heating, transport and most importantly our food, we have become utterly addicted to oil to power our society. By adding the equivalent of the population of China every 10 years to the world, worldwide demand increases every day.

The question is what happens when the ability to extract, refine and deliver oil is overtaken by demand. Conventional thinking is that this is decades away and that when it happens there will be an undulating plateau as societies adjust. However many analysts believe that when this happens the bubble that says we can have as much cheap energy as we want will burst leading to severe social and economic disruption. Indeed Grenville pointed out that this is already happening. With oil currently at an all time high of over $80 a barrel, a growing list of countries have already reached peak oil - the price where it has become too expensive for many purposes. These are countries that don’t often make headline news in the UK but include Myanmar, Nepal, Ghana, Nigeria, Argentina.

Peak Everything

In fact resource constraints are not just about oil - gas, water, soil, trees, fish, phosphate, and others are all in crisis.

Among the reasons Hendry gave for his Peak Oil skepticism was that technical progress means that more oil is extractable from oil fields. Through technology developments oil can be discovered and extracted at great depths of water and rock. He also said that “Talking to BP, they are finding new oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Tough Oil

While one would expect an industry to develop its technology over time, the fact that it is having to spend very large sums to look for and extract oil in remote places is another indication that the days of easy oil are coming to an end.

However while there have been a lot of claims of large finds of oil, many have not fulfilled their initial promise.

While Hendry and Grenville disagreed on the urgency of the oil constraints, they did both agree we should be taking action now to reduce carbon emissions.

Carbon Tax

Among Hendry’s suggestions were putting a ‘tax’ on carbon, so that all forms of renewables become more attractive to investors; requiring microgeneration facilities to be part of new developments.

Local Food

He also said that “people should be encouraged to buy local produce and to recognise that we all need to change the way we live our lives - but by doing so, we will actually be eating more healthily and not just in a more environmentally-friendly way.”

In Our Hands

“If Forest Row can’t make a Transition Town no where can! You have local produce - don’t need to fly it in. Need to eat seasonally - why do the green beans from Tescos still look good after three weeks when others don’t? We need to ask more questions about food and recognise the quality of local food.

“The future” Hendry said “is in our hands and not the oil companies.”