Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

ENDORSEMENT OF THE OIL DEPLETION PROTOCOL
& CALL FOR 5% REDUCTION IN OIL CONSUMPTION
Many other communities have either adopted oil reduction or oil independence goals.
Toward this end, many have endorsed the Oil Depletion Protocol, a proposed international
agreement under which nations would reduce their oil consumption at rates at which
known oil reserves are being depleted – approximately 3 percent. 21 The intent of the
Protocol is to reduce competition among nations for scare resources and to help
communities prepare for oil price shocks and shortages. Notably, the Bloomington
Common Council supported the adoption of a global oil depletion protocol in 2006 with
Resolution 06­07: Recognizing the Peak of World Oil Production.
However, to prepare for peak in a robust way, the Task Force calls for a reduction in
consumption that not just keeps pace with depletion, but exceeds it. The Task Force
recommends that the community start now to reduce its reliance on petroleum, by
reducing petroleum consumption by 5 percent per year. This would realize a 50 percent
decrease in oil consumption in just 14 years. While it may sound like an ambitious goal, by
cooperating and re‐thinking the way we do things, this is an achievable goal. Not only will
reducing petroleum consumption make the community healthier and more sustainable, it
will save us all money.
21 See Oil Depletion Protocol. supra note 9.
Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force
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