Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas

The "Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas", or "ASPO", is a network of scientists, affiliated with a wide array of global institutions and universities, having an interest in determining the date and impact of the peak and decline of the worlds production of oil and gas, due to resource constraints.

ASPO was founded by Colin Campbell in 2000. It is the most influential organization supporting the "peak oil" theory known as the Hubbert curve, devised by M. King Hubbert, which predicts future oil availability. It appears in the documentary film "The End of Suburbia".

Geologists, energy researchers and many other scientists from the following countries are represented in ASPO: Australia, Austria, Denmark, China, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

But ASPO has its share of critics. The current debate revolves around energy policy, and whether to shift funding to increasing fuel efficiency, and alternative energy sources like solar and nuclear power. Campbell's critics, like Michael C. Lynch, argue that his research data is sloppy. They point to the date of the coming peak, which was initially projected to occur by the year 1997, but the date was pushed back to 2000, then 2010, moved up to 2006 (in 2004) and later (2005) back to 2010. Campbell explains this with the fact that he has got better data from industry and more reliable estimates. However, Campbell and his supporters insist that "when" the peak occurs is not as important as the realization that the peak is coming.

Mission

1. To evaluate the worlds endowment and definition of oil and gas;

2. To study depletion, taking due account of economics, demand, technology and politics;

3. To raise awareness of the serious consequences for humankind.

External links

* [http://www.cge.uevora.pt/aspo2005/ ASPO: International workshop on oil and gas depletion in Lisbon, Portugal]
* [http://www.peakoil.net/ ASPO official website]
* [http://www.peakoil.ie/ ASPO Ireland (Colin Campbell's Office)]
* [http://www.peakoil.ie/newsletters ASPO newsletters]
* [http://www.peakoil.ie/countries ASPO overview of the countries]
* [http://www.aspo-usa.com/ ASPO USA created in 2005]
* [http://www.aspo-usa.com/fall2005/index.cfm Denver world oil congress]
* [http://www.aspoitalia.net/ ASPO Italia web site]
* [http://www.TrendLines.ca/peakoilcomment.htm#aspo TrendLines Research] Energy Analyst Freddy Hutter's ASPO critique and chart tracking ASPO/Campbell forecasts since 1989.
* [http://www.aspo-australia.org.au/ ASPO Australia, Australian Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas]
* [http://www.aspo.org.nz/ ASPO New Zealand]