Another thing that I feel is VERY important to point out: Oil is not just used for energy; I think we burn 40% or so. The petroleum industry provides feedstocks for everything from plastic appliance parts to saran wrap to sporting equipment, drink containers, paints, roofing, inks, construction materials, etc, etc.
Burning oil, rather that putting it to use as a feedstock in the chemical industry is worse than stupid in the grand scheme of things. We need that stuff to _make_ stuff. Burning it is throwing away the future. Not only will we need to find another source of energy after the oil is gone, but we'll also have to find another source of hydrocarbon feedstocks to supply our needs. By comparison, alternative energy sources are easy to find. There is no economical alternative to oil as a chemical feedstock. I suppose you could start with ethanol, but making some of the more complex hydrocarbon starting materials (xylenes for instance) will be a challenge.
Sure, good chemists will find a way, but oil makes a great feedstock for a huge variety of absolutely necessary products. Think about it.
Support the move away from gasoline (but keep in mind that hydrogen is worse, since it is made from hydrocarbons and consumes more energy to make it, until we have efficient photovoltaics to elecrolyse water cheaply).
JMHO.
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