IEA report predicts shale oil production will peak in 2020s

New York Times : The International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) annual World Energy Outlook predicts energy trends for the next 20 years. The most significant pronouncement in this year’s report is that production of oil from shale in the US, Canada, and other non-OPEC countries will peak in the 2020s. This agrees with information from the US Department of Energy. By then, the likely response from many countries will be a shift back toward obtaining oil from OPEC members. The IEA’s report also predicts that by 2035, renewable energy will provide 18% of the world’s power, up from 13% currently. The number would be higher, but wood-burning stoves and furnaces, which are considered renewable energy sources, are being replaced by fossil fuel generated electricity. For transportation, the report predicts an increase from 3% now to 8% in 2035 in the percentage of energy for vehicles coming from renewable sources. According to the IEA estimates, the increase in energy demand will outpace the growth of renewable energy sources, and that gap will result in a 20% increase in carbon dioxide emissions by 2035.