Bloomington, Minnesota, USA is but one of many communities world-wide prepared to face up to this impending issue about to effect us all in the near future.

If world governments neglect to take action on this matter local governments will at least need to pave the way for a more gentle transition.

On December 21, 2009, Bloomington issued a press release fully endorsing a report into post-peak oil scenarios

“The Bloomington City Council overwhelmingly approved the report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force entitled Redefining Prosperity: Energy Descent and Community Resilience (PDF 13.36 MB).

The report is the product of a seven-member task force and outlines the community’s vulnerability to a decline in cheap oil and proposes numerous mitigation strategies.

The report is premised on the fact that oil infuses just about every aspect of our lives.

We rely on cheap oil for necessities such as transportation, food and electricity.

However, oil is a non-renewable resource. It is widely acknowledged that the world has reached, or will soon reach, the point at which oil production is at its maximum, or peak.

Once the world reaches peak oil production, we will not run out of oil but we will run short of oil.

At that point, the price of oil will become more volatile. Given the systemic nature of oil, a decline in the availability of cheap oil will have implications for all aspects of society.

Bob Hughes