Oil Peak

Together with climate change, which most of us have heard about, the end of oil is the greatest challenge to Mankind, ever! It's quite surprising that media and governments do not inform the citizens of the world about an event which threatens the lifestyle of all people on Earth. Our economy, our society and our civilization relies on an endless supply of "cheap" energy. As the peak of oil approaches - and believe me that we will live to witness it - oil will get increasingly scarce and expensive up to a point that it will break the social and international balances (think "Gulf War 2.0"). While there have been many initiatives on alternative energy sources, such as Wind, Solar, Biomass and Hydrogen, there is still no economical, feasible alternative to oil. I strongly recommend that the reader becomes acquainted with what the Oil Peak is and what it means. The Peak Oil Wikipedia article is a good place to start. Those who want to learn more in depth, can read the book "Twilight In The Desert" by Matthew Simmons or for those who are portuguese and enjoy novels, they can read "O Sétimo Selo" by José Rodrigues dos Santos.
I would like to end this post on a high note, so a couple of positive points:

1. Oil Usage and Climate Change are closely related, so reducing Mankind dependency from Oil will greatly benefit the environment.
2. President Barack Obama has pledged 150 billion over the next 10 years in order to build a clean energy future.
3. All over the world, everybody is getting more aware and more sensible to environmental isssues, so the reduction of waste and the increase of energy efficiency is gaining momentum.