The Dutch are usually known for a balanced and well thought out opinion and the latest public release by CIEP merits that opinion. The summary posting on The Oil Drum (TOD) is at:

http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/4358#more

And, this is where I saw good news amongst the numbers that echo what most “Peakers” have known for some time. If we can hold to a plateau in production over the next 5 to 10 years, we might have a good chance for a soft landing; and, prices based on local value is a major improvement over the preceding consume-at-all-costs commodity market for oil. That is, the price of oil will more directly reflect its true value and worth, and that is a good thing.

The best outcome we hoped for was to significantly, or stop, blowing the precious endowment out our tailpipe and use the resource for much higher value items such as medical supplies, key materials and even clothing products. (Full disclosure, I love the new materials used in golf shirts, and polypropylene ski clothing). Somewhere between the lines of this monumental report I saw this awareness peaking out. (oops, watch the puns!).

This is not to say that the immediate changes, phases, and convulsions won’t be painless. We are in for some challenging times none the less. However, perhaps the CIEP report will catch the attention at the appropriate levels as the Hirsch Report, the GAO report, the Pentagon Report, the multitude of YouTube videos should have, the constant warnings and recriminations of Simons, Kuntsler, Heinberg and Campbell should have; and most importantly, will catch the attention of everyday middle management and family dinner table discussions.

We may now have the paradigm set in place as described by Fatih Birol to, “leave oil before it leaves us.” That is the good news ensconced in verbiage and sometimes overwhelming content of a report of this scope. As an engineer working in the energy business, I see a faint glimmer of hope that a greatly reduced energy society is more likely than the Olduvai Gorge - or massive die off.

We still have a long way to go campers, but its a start.  Matter of fact, to earn a merit badge one must read the referenced link!  There will be a test…