How Much Oil and Coal Are Left?
In 1956, the geologist M. King Hubbert predicted that United States oil production would peak between 1965 and 1970. This turned out to be correct. Hubbert’s theory is called “Hubbert peak theory” or simply “peak oil.” According to the theory, oil production increases until it reaches a peak, at which point roughly half the original resource is remaining. Since Hubbert’s initial theory, experts have debated whether worldwide production of oil will also reach a peak. Some of the same debates have also centered around coal, with analysts wondering how much longer we can power our energy-hungry civilization with finite fossil fuels. According to the pessimists, we may have already reached worldwide peak oil production, or will reach it soon. This would eventually lead to irreversible increases in the price of oil, causing increases in the price of practically everything else, possibly leading to economic collapse, global depression, and other dire consequences, up to and including the dis
