What is peak oil Is there any evidence that cities in the developing Essay

What is peak oil Is there any evidence that cities in the developing world are taking the issue seriously in their planning If there is little or no evidence, why is this the case - Essay Example st of the potentially oil rich regions have already been explored, and also due to legislation concerning the preservation of land with natural beauty or heritage value. The irreversible decline in oil production will cause adverse impacts in the global economy, â€Å"recession, food shortages and wars and conflicts over the remaining oil supplies† (Huddart and Stott 873). By the year 2030, it is predicted that while city dwellers in developed countries would have increased by 20%, the urban population in developing countries would have more than doubled to around 4 billion people, leading to overcrowding in several cities. In contemporary society there is a heavy dependence on oil for transportation, in industry, and in other requirements for liquid fossil fuels. â€Å"China, India and other countries are rapidly increasing their consumption while production from known oil fields is peaking† (Wissler 80). Kenneth S. Deffeyes (23) raises a controversial perspective based on geology and mathematics; he considers it improbable that additional major oilfields now remain undiscovered, and predicts increasingly difficult economic, social and political conditions particularly for regions most dependent on oil, specifically imported oil. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other exporters of oil will be able to charge high rates to fulfill the demands for the commodity, resulting in steep oil price hikes followed by greater chaos than similar occurrences in 1973 and 1979. The problem of ‘peak oil’ is also related to the issue of global warming. When oil production peaks and starts declining, it will be necessary to use other substitutes besides renewable resources examined above, such as coal. This will be necessary to power electric and hybrid vehicles and as the material converted into diesel fuel. These processes producing carbon dioxide will increase air and water pollution, and adversely affect climate change. â€Å"Therefore, a potential effect of climate change is increased