Peak Oil is about as scary as things can get, because unlike the environmental disaster that will take 50+ years to unfold, peak oil is going to happen within 20, and many are suspecting even quicker than that.  My guess is that by 2020 the world will already be in chaos - so you better start preparing for the Long Emergency pretty soon. It will start with a financial crisis like we have never seen before, and my bet is that will start within 5 years, and maybe as soon as two - depending on how soon the USA does something really stupid. The only question is - will it be a slow slippery slide, or a rapid plummet. I'm personally hoping for a slow slide, but with my luck we won't get that luxury. Hang on to your hats folks, the roller coaster has reached the top of the ascent, and its all down hill from here.

"Oil prices hit a record high of $97 a barrel on Tuesday, but the next generation of consumers could look back on that price with envy. The dire predictions of a key report on international oil supplies released Wednesday suggest that oil prices could move irreversibly over the $100 a barrel threshold in the not too distant future, as the global economy faces a serious energy shortage.

This gloomy assessment comes from the International Energy Agency, the Paris-based organization representing the 26 rich, gas-guzzling member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The agency is not known for alarmist warnings, and its World Energy Outlook is typically viewed by policy wonks as a solid indicator of global energy supplies. In a marked change from its traditionally bland, measured tones, the IEA's 2007 report says governments need to make urgent, bold decisions on energy policy, or risk massive environmental and energy-supply crises within two decades — crises and shortages that could spark serious global conflicts."

Rest of the article is here:
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1681362,00.html?xid=rss-business

Just to confirm the story below, here is a news item from the ABC discussing the dire situation we are facing. I'm sure this data will be ignored as well. I can't believe people are so deaf to the warnings. Such stupid creatures we humans are.

Conservation scientist and Australian of the Year Tim Flannery has warned that huge industrial and economic changes need to be implemented quickly to slow the growth of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

He says the actual levels of greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere are far beyond what has previously been modelled by climate scientists.

"What the report establishes is that the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is already above the threshold that could potentially cause dangerous climate change," he said.

"So if I was trying to summarise it, what it says is that we already stand an unacceptable risk of dangerous climate change and that the need for action is ever more urgent."

Here is a very troubling article about CO2 emission being even worse than the current worst case scenario. I shake my head in daily disbelief.
The telling line is - "The researchers found that no part of the world reduced the amount of carbon used to produce energy between 2000 and 2004, despite widespread publicity in support of greener sources of energy." I bet the results for 2004-2007 will be twice as shocking given China's massive expansion during this time. 

===========Clip follows===========

The world's recent carbon dioxide emissions are growing more rapidly than even the worst-case climate scenario used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, say researchers.

The team, led by Michael Raupach of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, looked at the growth of CO2 emissions and found that emissions growth suddenly accelerated in 2000. During the 1990s, emissions grew by 1.1% per year on average, but the number shot up to 3.3% between 2000 and 2004, when the study ended.

When they compared the recent emissions trend to those the UN-backed IPCC drew up as its "worst case scenario", the team found the reality was at least as bad, if not worse (see graph, right).

More interesting articles on the affects of global warming. Firstly indications of significant  ice melts in Antarctica, and then Japan reporting a greater than expected warming of its surrounding oceans. I wonder if the rate of change will be the biggest surprise for us in the next few years?

Here is a great video clip on global warming and why we need to take action now, from the MIT Technology Review site.

This great site allows you to view the current dam levels all around the country to see the status of water in your area. It will be interesting to watch over the next year.

All Australia


South East Queensland

I guess these graphs are pretty clear.  And it was predicted.
.
But the scary one is how long the effect will last....  thats a long, long time. Get out the swimmers.

"NEARLY a third of the world's plants and animals face extinction, billions of people will be affected by water shortages, and countries across Asia and Africa will be racked by disease and starvation under alarming global warming forecasts made last night by the world's leading climate experts. The assessment, made by the 2500 scientists who comprise the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, paints the most disturbing picture yet of the damage the world can expect from global warming. Depending on how quickly the planet heats up, vulnerable species could begin disappearing as early as 2030."
You will start reading a lot of news articles like this now that the issue is going mainstream. Are people starting to listen do you think?

The way we live has its biggest initial impact in the oceans, and it appears changes are well and truly upon us. And the outcome is pretty scary. Massive 'Dead Zones' of water devoid of oxygen that suffocate everything in their path. Sounds like a horror story but its just one more result of our mismanagement of the planet. Read about it here.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1850704.htm
http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/oceancolor/scifocus/oceanColor/dead_zones.shtml
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/osu-mz072606.php

And a more general article about the state of our oceans here
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/osu-mz072606.php

Here is some good info on the impact of climate change viewed globally.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/climateChange.html