Letters
Carbon guzzling isn’t the answer Martin Gage’s letter ‘Scaremongering over peak oil’ (November Journal, page 22) offers a simple acceptance of the refilling of the Eugene Island oilfield as ‘truth’. If Martin had done better research he would know that the estimated reserves in the oilfield, and many others globally, have increased over the past two decades because we now have better exploration and recovery technology, so more oil is capable of being recovered. I agree with Martin on one thing: we need to be prudent with our use of energy before it’s too late; but this means waking up into a carbon zero world, not a carbon guzzling one. As for oil being a ‘freely available’ and ‘trusted’ resource, you just have to look at the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the impact it has had on many thousands. Stephen Knowles, MIMechE, Affi liate CIBSE
No complacency over peak oil Peak oil is not about running out of oil, it is about the peaking of global oil production.
The International Energy Agency warns that our consumption is unsustainable. The IEA knows the reality: oil discoveries peaked in 1964, and since 1983 we have been using around three times as much oil as we discover each year. Of the 98 oil-producing countries, 64 have now peaked, including Russia. Oil will be around for many decades yet; but as engineers, we can understand the likely scenario that global oil supply will fail to meet demand in the next two to fi ve years, followed by a plateau in production; and then perhaps in fi ve to eight years the onset of ever-declining global oil production. In the wake of the credit bubble, the issues are complex with no room for complacency. It’s time for transparency, dialogue and above all, a global strategy. Chris Jones MCIBSE
Put entropy in its rightful place It was gratifying to see the promotion of the Second Law of Thermodynamics within the design processes of the built environment (‘Design Masterclass’, December Journal,
page 42). One derivative of the Second Law is entropy, which identifi es the irreversibilities within design processes. As entropy is a thermodynamic property (unlike exergy), it can be measured and assessed. Its analytic use would therefore form a more comprehensive measure of the ‘sustainability’ of the built environment than is presently adopted. Perhaps we may see entropy taking an equal role with the other fi ve thermodynamic properties that are currently referred to in design processes. Dr Brian Atkins
CIBSE Journal welcomes article proposals from any reader, wherever you are – whether it be letters, longer opinion pieces, news stories, people or events listings, humorous items, or any ideas for possible articles.
Please send all letters and any other items for possible publication to: bcervi@cibsejournal. com, or write to Bob Cervi, Editor, CIBSE Journal, Cambridge Publishers Ltd, 275 Newmarket Road, Cambridge, CB5 8JE, UK. We reserve the right to edit all letters. Please indicate how you wish your letter to be attributed, and whether you wish to have your contact details included.
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February 2011 CIBSE Journal
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