The Oil Drum

In behavioral terms, peak oil is an aversive consequence. The Hirsch report's crash program is an avoidance response that will prevent the worst of the aversive consequence from occurring. Meeting the challenge of peak oil is therefore a problem of engaging in successful avoidance responding.

Peak oil is an especially difficult problem due to (a) the nonrecurring nature of peak oil, (b) the delay of the aversive consequence, (c) the variability in the predicted date of peak oil, (d) the predicted aversiveness of peak oil, and (e) the nature of avoidance responding.

Will Canada complacently allow the US to pillage her resources as energy supplies become more scarce?  Further, will she become discontented enough with that idea to cause a political rift between Canada and the US when she sees her own future energy security being compromised?  Will the NAFTA energy sharing provisions hold up, maintaining fungibility of scarce resources?  There seem to be many questions that need to be asked about this supposed panacea of a relationship; some ideas of the potential answers under the fold.