Can we replace oil and maintain energy supply?

This piece on EnergyBulletin is brilliant, and by that I mean it makes arguments I like to make.

Can we simply switch out oil for other fuels? No:

The question is: can production from non-conventional sources such as the Alberta tar sands or synthetic fuels using coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology be ramped up to anything even approaching a supply deficit of 22 million barrels per day by 2015?

Reader support helps sustain our work. Donate today to keep our climate news free. All donations DOUBLED!

• One Time
• Monthly

• $120
• $180
• Other
• Donate

• $10
• $15
• Other
• Donate

The answer appears to be a clear no.

To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How

Not by a long shot.

So what’s the answer?

Rather than focusing only on what I see as futile and costly attempts to continue to grow the supply of liquid fuels, efforts must be redirected to the demand side:

• efficiency (doing more with less); conservation (just doing less);
• designing compact, walkable urban communities;
• emphasizing public transit including electric light rail;
• switching to biofuels and other renewable energy sources;
• relocalising organic food production, and so on

Word.