The Legislative Council has established a committee to investigate the issues surrounding Peak Oil for the state. This submission reflects many of the ideas that people have contributed to the zero carbon network over the past 18 months.

The introduction is pasted below, but please download the full document here (81Kb PDF document)

Submission on behalf of the Zero Carbon Network

Introduction

Although the focus of this committee is on Peak Oil it is important that its deliberations are constructed with an awareness that Oil is but one of many products that are reaching or are beyond their peak.  David Cohen writing in the New Scientist of 26 May 2007 asks the question how long it will be before we have exhausted the earth's mineral wealth. 

Some of the materials that go into creating our 21^st century lifestyle are already dangerously close to being exhausted.  Rare metals such as indium and tantalum that are being used in flat screen TVs and electronic devices are close to running out.  At present rates of consumption the world will run out of Platinum in 15 years.  Platinum is a key ingredient not just in catalytic converters but also for Hydrogen Cells touted as an alternative energy source.

Even the most commonplace minerals such as zinc, copper, nickel and phosphorus are under pressure.  That phosphorus is a key ingredient in the manufacture of fertiliser is of particular concern - we are able to feed the world in part due to the green revolution - remove fertiliser from the equation and the green revolution will wither and with it our capacity to feed the world's population.

The central problem with these projections is that we do not know the full extent of the world's mineral reserves.  This also applies to oil.  We can make informed guesses but the exact extent of world reserves of all mineral resources is unknown partly because the businesses that control the exploitation of these minerals see information about the exact size of the reserves under their control as a commercial secret.

What we do know is that a global economy that depends on finite resources will sooner or later run out of those resources.  When looking at Australia's pattern of consumption we can readily see that we are particularly vulnerable with regard to the peaking of all natural resources.  Stephen Lincoln from The University of Adelaide has argued[1] that Australia's ecological footprint is 9 hectares per person as opposed to a global capacity of 2.8 hectares.  Regardless of how much of the world's resources are left we are living well beyond our means.

It is these considerations that have helped shape the Zero Carbon Network's submission with regard to Peak Oil. 

Our central thesis is that Governments at all levels need to implement measures that enable us to make the transition from an unsustainable lifestyle to one that is sustainable.  We believe that the solutions to making that change are at hand but it does require a government commitment to encourage people to embrace a sustainable lifestyle.

Please download the full document here (81Kb PDF document)

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