Are the Arabs running out of oil?

Spotted in The Peninsula last week was this little snippet that Qatar had joined the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) following an endorsement of IRENA's statute.

As The Peninsula points out, the IRENA was officially established in Bonn in January 2009. Member states pledge to advance renewable energy in their national policies.

Read the full article by clicking here.

photo credit: azrainman

Will BP's Oil discovery dampen public appetite for Alternative Energy?

Spotted on a solar energy forum....

On the back of the BP oil discovery, I wondered if such finds damped the publics appetite for alternative energy?

Will consumers feel 're-assured' by traditional fossil fuel discoveries and be complacent about supplies running out, and therefore put off seeking out alternative energy generation solutions for their homes and businesses?

What's your feedback?

What do you think? In the mainstream media coverage I read, and whilst it was a fantastic engineering feat, I didn't see any mention of alternative energy - did you?