• 2006
• Concept
• Exhibit map
• Project link

Writer Rob Bracken, graphic artist Dave Menninger, statistician Michael Poremba, and catalyst Richard Katz created The Oil Age chart to communicate the central role of fossil fuels—especially oil—in the rise and continuing existence of industrial civilization. Virtually everything we consider modern—from cars to air travel to plastics—depends on the empowering force of petroleum, the most energy-dense and versatile substance known to man. The Oil Age chart illuminates the history of oil from critical angles, charting its steady rise in production, mapping its geographical sources, and revealing its deep connection to sociopolitical events. The chart draws on a wide range of sources, including government statistics and the work of leading geologists such as Colin Campbell, whose oil depletion model forms the chart’s central image spanning most of the Oil Age, from 1859 to 2050. By displaying forecasts of oil’s peak and decline in the years ahead, the chart poses a difficult question: How will humanity deal with the inexorable depletion of one of its most valuable resources? To date, the chart has been distributed to every member of the U.S. Congress and donated to more than 2,500 teachers nationwide.