This age can give us much more in local control and in local employment than we ever had when we imported all of our energy from distant oil fields, and the world can be much less centralized and autocratic than the world we have now. Our challenge is not to make this transition, for we will have no choice. Our challenge is only to make the transition peacefully, with a minimum of human and environmental destruction. There are major incentives for exaggeration of the national petroleum reserves, since exaggeration can be very beneficial. The population can be very happy with a large national treasure, so long as they are unaware that it is being exaggerated.
Private people are free to question any falsified or inflated numbers.
If however another national government begins to issue government reports in which these falsified and inflated numbers of another nation are regarded as falsified and inflated numbers, instead of being regarded as the Absolute God-Given Truth, that constitutes an international incident. Government employees are effectively operating under unwritten orders to pretend that such numbers of other nations are right, even when they are wrong. Falsehoods may be given a stamp of approval, and may be perpetuated until they can be perpetuated no longer. There are many who may well be involved in the misinformation process in an informal way. Many people in these industries may not want to acknowledge any near term energy crisis.