Last updated July 9, 2008

As those who understand peak oil are no doubt aware, coverage of the issue in the media has been extremely uneven. Some observers cite the best available data and production models, which indicate that there are perhaps 1.2 trillion barrels of economically recoverable conventional oil yet to produce. But a few seem intent on promoting an optimistic industry view (despite historical evidence to the contrary) that one day, the world can recover most of the estimated 12 trillion barrels of original oil in place—a factor of 10 variance in estimates!

Such a wide range of expert opinion has only served to confuse the public at a time when it is critically important that they get up to speed on the simple facts of oil production and understand what they might realistically expect in the future. In an effort to close this enormous gap, I have collaborated with Steve Andrews, a co-founder of ASPO-USA, on a new "Peak Oil Media Guide," to address the important questions that regularly come up about peak oil.

We encourage those who engage with the media to distribute the guide. It is my hope that the guide will become a "living document" which can be updated and enhanced as time goes on by knowledgeable experts. You can download the full document here.