4. And tomorrow

4.1 Peak Gas

Peak gas is when natural gas production peaks. Less publicized than peak oil, peak gas is just as important, if not more so.

In fact, since gas can be substituted for oil in virtually all cases, apart from air transport (although one solution, tested in the days of the USSR, is still feasible with LNG), it's conceivable that as peak oil passes, demand could gradually shift to natural gas without manifesting catastrophic shortages. On the other hand, by the time peak gas arrives, natural gas is unlikely to be substitutable, unless massive production of CO ₂ takes place: while centralized power generation and individual and collective heating may be viably provided by coal, 2nd-generation biofuels will...