Day: Tuesdays (first class meeting: October 7, 2008)
Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Location: Webb Hall 1006
Enrollment Code: 55913
Description:
Is the world running out of cheap oil? If so our lives and society will
change dramatically. Over the next few years, or possibly even sooner,
global oil production will peak. Industrial societies will compete for
remaining services under the threat of war. Even if industrial societies
begin to switch to alternative energy sources, they will have less net
energy each year to do all the work essential to the survival of complex
societies. We are entering a new era, as different from the industrial era
as the latter was from medieval times, and facing a crisis. Four dollars
for a gallon of gas will soon be cheap. How did this happen? What can
be done? How realistic is this scenario? In this seminar students will read
materials concerning these topics, lead discussions, and make presentations
evaluating the arguments.
Professor Bruce Luyendyk, Geological Sciences, conducts research on methane greenhouse gas emissions.
Email: luyendyk@geol.ucsb.edu
