Actually, it seems that the IPCC scenarios do not take into account the decline in the rate of oil production that the Peak Oil community regards as likely. There is no mention of Peak Oil in the Summary, nor do any of the scenarios include the case in which oil production peaks in the next very few years and then declines at such a rate that an unbridgeable gap between supply and demand develops no matter what the price. The consequent forced demand destruction and worldwide economic collapse would then put a real limit on CO2 emissions. In the face of oil shortage there could be a great effort made to increase coal burn and exploit unconventional oil. The prevention of such fossil fuel use combined with planned demand destruction through efficiency improvement, conservation and development of sustainable energy sources must be our focus. The omission from the IPCC Report of Peak Oil scenarios is of concern to those of us who are aware of the likely consequences of the future decline in the rate of oil production.
