Chris - a fanastic job getting this on line so fast. Watching it again it is a really good report. The next stage is to get the reporters to think about what the consequences might be for BAU scenarios. Worth noting that the BBC explained away £1 a liter by 3 factors:

1. growing demand in china
2. the falling $
3. speculation

We need email addresses for the BBC reporters so that we can send them our views - this is the biggest story of the 21st century after all.

They are really hard to find but the BBC does have reports on PO

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3623549.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4077802.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/drivenbyoil/pip/krpen/

BBC are somewhat conservative, but they are willing to entertain new ideas. They ran a piece by John Feeney on population in their Green Room section. I think the BBC have PO bubbling under the surface, and are waiting for official confirmation before making it headline news. Unfortunately Fatih Birol explicitly said that this is not Peak Oil.

David Strahan author of Last Oil Shock is a former BBC journalist. I guess he would have a better chance than most of persuading them to make PO a headline topic.

Fatih Birol appears to the critical cork in the bottle though. Birol is good at spin though, he says "there is sufficient oil, if necessary investments are made". The headline writers take the first part and ignore the if. He should say "we will run short of oil, unless sufficient investment is made" which would have proper impact.

Hi Bob,

Yes, indeed: "...if necessary investments are made"

Investments in: large-scale conservation, immediate implementation of policies to address population growth (legal rights of women), huge investments in wind/solar to avoid Olduvai - and etc.

Maybe not the type of investments Fatih has in mind. Still, perhaps he does know, in the back of his mind.

I wonder what it would feel like to be in his position. (Note to Mr. Birol: Perhaps better to address it now.)

The BBC had a report on Newsnight yesterday - I didn't see it but the summary is here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/2007/11/wednesday_7_november_2007.html

There is a view again option on Newsnight homepage.

I watched it. Talking heads mainly.

An analysis - short film by Newsnight guy - kinda following recieved wisdom.

Leggett, Porritt and a Harvard economist quizzed in studio by Paxo.

All as expected - Leggett strident - got in 'PO about now' and more than recession soon, looked genuinely agitated. Porritt dithering and CO2 obseessed - but aware. Economist away with the economic faeries, denying peak oil as price sorts it all out, talking bollocks about transition from whale oil. However, economist was scared by tranfer of 'power' to NOCs(bad!) rather than IOCs(good). Imports not mentioned.

Not decisive - but out there in Mainsteam Media.

Tonight on Cris Matthews on MSNBC he interviewed the Market guru Kramer. I was pleased to hear straight talk. We have a big big problem that will not go away. We need more Nuclear plants and soon. It was all in line with TOD thinking. Oil production declining and higher pricing going forward. Najor action is needed.

Peak Oil was also the topic of a feature article at seekingalpha.com, a popular investment site, back in May. It also is all in line with TOD thinking, on its major points anyway. It is an excellent overview of global oil, EROEI, and the major oil alternatives, one of the best I've read outside the confines of peak oil books and websites. You can read it here