An Inconvenient Swede

Abstract

“Kjell Aleklett, a perky and persuasive physicist at Uppsala University, talks with characteristic Swedish candour,” is the opening sentence of an article titled, “An Inconvenient Swede” published in the business journal Canadian Business in 2006 [1]. The article was written by Andrew Nikiforuk whom I met in Vancouver at the beginning of that year, shortly after I had testified before a committee of the US House of Representatives [2] (see Fig. 20.1). Andrew and I had a long conversation about oil, Canada’s oil sands, why far too many people try to hide the truth about oil’s future, and why I am so determined to say what I consider to be true. Peeking at Peak Oil is not an autobiography but I have described how my personal experiences have influenced the research of the Global Energy Systems group and vice versa. My interest in Peak Oil was ignited while preparing teaching material in December 2000. Now, a decade later in August 2011, it has led to an invitation to the EU Parliament to describe the research of my Peak Oil-focused research group, Uppsala Global Energy Systems.