Free Peak Oil conference in London, 15 July 2006 July 15, 2006

The agenda is available here as a PDF

A free-to-attend conference looking at many aspects of Peak Oil is taking place on Saturday 15 July 2006 at the BedZed development in Hackbridge, just outside London. The event, Peak Speak 2, is the follow up to the successful Peak Speak 1, held at the same location last year.

Organised by PowerSwitch.org.uk, and run in a friendly and informal manner, it is designed to give plenty of opportunity to discuss an issue that will dominate the 21st century the ongoing decline

of global oil supplies, how it will affect all lives and what we can do about it. Along with Climate Change, it will make this century very different to the last.

As Jeremy Leggett wrote in the Independent, January 2006, We have allowed oil to become vital to virtually everything we do. Ninety per cent of all our transportation, whether by land, air or sea, is


fuelled by oil. Ninety-five per cent of all goods in shops involve the use of oil. Ninety-five per cent of all our food products require oil use. Just to farm a single cow and deliver it to market requires six barrels of oil, enough to drive a car from New York to Los Angeles. Meanwhile there is a quickly growing acceptance of the concept of imminent Peak Oil. Notable figures such as Bill Clinton and Al Gore believe we are at Peak Oil while the oil company Total sees it as occurring around 2020. The challenges that Peak Oil and Climate Change presents are stark indeed, and it is important for individuals, businesses and government to begin addressing this as soon as possible.

For some, Peak Speak 1, which had seventy people in attendance, was a life changing experience.

Peakspeak-1 motivated me to take the plunge and change direction so that in the year that followed I have almost completed an MSc in Renewable Systems Energy Engineering, and hope to make a career in that area going forward, and contribute to the coming problems in some way, wrote a previous attendee.

The speakers include:

• Donnachadh McCarthy, author of Saving The Planet Without Costing The Earth (3acorns.co.uk);


• Chris Vernon, of PowerSwitch and OilDrum UK, with analysis of UK power supply; Norman Church with his follow up to Systems and Interdependencies;


• Doly Garcia speaking about Peak Oil Action in Brighton, and Naresh Giangrande who will be discussing Biofuels on the back of Hubberts Curve.

The emphasis, however, will be on everyone participating.There will also be an opportunity to see and discuss The Power of Community : How Cuba Survived Peak Oil as well as a workshop in learning how to Build Networks and Relationships for a Post Peak


World. And as last year, there will be the PeakNiks Picnic.

Entry is free but you will need to register in advance as places are limited. Email