"But Europe can't feed itself,"
The European Union pays farmers money to *not* grow food on land they own. Europe produces more food than it consumes and the export of its subsidized food actually harms farmers in Africa.

"and as the North Sea petroleum runs out, won't be able to heat itself."
well, the coming shortage of nat gas is a serious problem (mainly a political one as we will be at Putins mercy...), but mostly to electricity generation. Heating can be done with coal, of which we have plenty, while Germany, for instance, moves more and more towards housing insulation standards that require houses to need little to *no energy at all* for heating ("Passivhaus").

"But give the devil his due and acknowledge that Denmark is a postage stamp sized country ."
Europe as a whole isn't really that much smaller than NA. Germany certainly isnt "postage stamp sized", uses no more energy than Denmark and its climate is not milder than the USA. Sweden, whose population density and climate ought to be really similiar to Canada, even plans to use zero oil by 2020. They can do this precisely because of the low pop density! (i.e. enormous forests to turn to use for producing energy biomass for not so many people). Canada could probly do something siniliar. From what I know, however, Canadas apperent energy use is only so high because of all the energy intensive resource production going on (tar sands ...), otherwise it wouldnt be that bad.

While I agree we are all in the same boat in this, there sure are differences of degree as to the severity of the problem and the progess done towards solving it. High gas and energy taxes, heavy public investment in renewables, a well working public transportation system are what makes europeans consume only half as much oil as north americans and certainly will go a long way towards making coming oil shortages less socially disruptive.