James Hansen has written an (apparently) open letter to Kevin Rudd, urging that all new coal fired power plants be halted - via Energy Bulletin, original at Australian Science Media Centre (pdf).
27 March 2008
The Hon Kevin Rudd, MP
Prime Minister of Australia
Australian Parliament
Canberra, Australian Capital [...]
NOW SHOWING: a movie on the drilling of Uthmaniyah. Using a set of wells in a productive (but now rather depleted) slice of this part of the Saudi oil field of Ghawar, it is possible to deduce to drilling sequence of these wells using the identifiers assigned to the [...]
As Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise, Food Stamp Use Nears Record
Driven by a painful mix of layoffs and rising food and fuel prices, the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach 28 million in the coming year, the highest level since the aid program began in [...]
[Comments fixed.]
The Engineer-Poet recently had a post on The Cogeneration Stopgap at the Oil Drum, which looked at how the combination of cogeneration (generating combined heat and power - CHP - using natural gas) and heat pumps could be used to heat North American homes much [...]
In this round of the Great Game, energy shortage and global warming are reinforcing each another. The result can only be a growing [...]
My question to you is: Does he have it right? [...]
The number of elected representatives at State and Federal level who have mentioned peak oil in parliamentary speeches must be getting close to double figures!
Speech to Parliament
Ms Rachel Nolan MP - Member for Ipswich
13th March 2008
Ms NOLAN (Ipswich—ALP):
On Monday night in Ipswich two local engineers, Steve [...]
'Cheap' $100 Oil Not Going to Curb Demand--Nor Our Energy Dependence (Simmons)
Dubai: While the world frets over rising oil prices, Matthew Simmons, chairman of Simmons and Company International, a US-based investment banking firm, says oil at $100-plus per barrel is "cheap."
The gap between world oil production and demand will [...]
Andris Piebalgs continues this Friday his blogging on bio-fuels, addressing some of the concerns expressed by the readers of the last blog-entry.
I agree that a radical change in consumer behavior is needed if we want Europe to be more energy efficient. At the same time, as policy [...]
This is a guest post by Rob Dietz and Brian Czech. Rob Dietz is the executive director of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE). He received a master of science degree in environmental science and engineering from Virginia Tech and an undergraduate degree in [...]
Russian Oil Output to Fall for First Time in a Decade
``Two years ago, we said the growth rate was falling, and we said this was bad for Russia, remember?'' Trutnev said in televised remarks after a government meeting in Moscow today. ``Now we're saying the production rate is falling [...]
Jamais Cascio talks about the P. Kharecha and J. Hansen "resources v. climate change" paper this evening, which was talked about here at TOD a few months ago (link). I thought I would bring the discussion over there to your attention.
http://www.openthefuture.com/2008/03/peak_oil_vs_global_warming.html
It will be interesting to [...]
Sometimes lost in headline discussions of oil production and prices is the sister story for natural gas. As might be expected, natural gas prices have mirrored the price change in oil, (though in the UK, they are currently approaching $15per mcf-a much higher increase than in North America). We have [...]
Truckers back a national 65 mph speed limit
A highway slowdown has begun in response to high energy prices—and the big trucking companies are leading the way. Con-Way Freight, one of the nation's largest trucking firms with 8,500 rigs, has announced it is turning back the electronic speed limiters in [...]
A week or so ago I wrote about the power supply debate going on in New England, with the controversy over the wind farm to be sited in the waters off Cape Cod. In that post I commented on the fact that, in response to an energy shortage that had [...]
The 7:30 report on the ABC had a segment yesterday on the impact of the Garnaut report on two Cooper basin projects - GeoDynamics' HFR geothermal power experiment (covered before in Geothermia) and Santos' proposal to use carbon dioxide injection into Cooper Basin oil and gas [...]
I have been asked to give a short talk about the expected economic impact of an energy downturn. The talk is to be part of public health program called "Integrating Environmental Dilemmas: A Teach-in on Energy, Climate Change, Water, Agriculture and Population." I expect that the audience will be university [...]
Dedicated members of the TOD audience and public transport fans may be interested to hear the call for papers from UITP, the International Association of Public Transport, for a conference to be held in Vienna in June 2009. The theme for the 58th World Congress and Mobility & City Transport [...]
I have recently been writing about Botswana, and their sudden discovery of vulnerability when they found that their supply of electricity was no longer to be available. There is a passage in Cape Wind, the book by Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb, that shows the increasing [...]
This is a guest post by Eugenio Saraceno, member of ASPO-Italy and consultant for energy sources management.
France's nuclear power plants produce almost 80% of the nation's electricity. In contrast, nearby Italy has no nuclear plant in operation.
[break]
One of the main arguments of [...]
This isn’t an argument about whether or not taxes—particularly energy taxes—are “good” or “bad.” Rather, this essay has a narrow focus: IF we’re going to attempt to reduce gasoline demand through taxation, what is the best way to do it?
Here’s my somewhat counter-intuitive theory: to most effectively reduce long-term gasoline [...]
The ongoing energy supply problems that have emerged from continued growth of the economies of Southern Africa, and which I wrote about following my trip down there, may well be an early precursor to a future that many countries might come to face before too long. Signs that [...]
Yeesh, three years (as of 22 MAR). 9.7-plus million unique visits to the main site (5.4 million in the past year alone) and 23.6-plus million unique page views, and many more at the continental sites. 2.3-plus million absolute unique visitors (according to google analytics and sitemeter) to TOD:Main. A 501c3 [...]
What Matters
Like many of you, I want to "make a difference." I have felt this way as long as I can remember. After my first child was born, it became almost an obsession to make a better future for the generations that follow. When I see children enduring hardship, I [...]
And here's Matt's response (text not video): [www.cnbc.com]
Stuart Staniford proposed a “way forward” for humanity in his article Powering Civilization to 2050. This article proposes an alternative vision: instead of trying to create continual, technological stop-gaps to the demands of growth, we must address the problem of growth head on. Infinite growth is impossible in a [...]
Australian producer BHP-Billiton has removed all personnel from its Neptune tension leg platform (TLP) in the deep-water US Gulf after inspections discovered ‘anomalies’ in the facility’s hull.
Mexico Diverts Pemex Exploration Monies
The Mexican newspaper El Universal reported that the Finance Ministry would “reassign” funds the company [...]
I have seen the future of Saudi Arabian oil production, and it is Harmaliyah. No, really. Sure, there are a couple more good doses of oil to be had from Khurais and Manifa -- and perhaps a bit more from Shaybah -- but after that, what [...] Obama Eyes Active Role in Oil Markets
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama would take an active role in U.S. oil markets as president, tackling concerns about the dominance of large oil companies and eyeing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a potential weapon to combat high prices, his top energy [...]
Powering transport using liquid petroleum gas, compressed natural gas or fuel produced by gas-to-liquids processes are options that have received varying amounts of attention in recent years as the oil price climbs ever higher. While shifting dependence from one fossil fuel to another doesn't make [...] The March 2008 edition of Oilwatch Monthly can be downloaded at this weblink (PDF, 1.6 MB, 21 pp).
Figure 1 - World Liquids Fuel Production January 2002 - February 2008
A summary, latest graphics and an explanatory note regarding a few errors I made last time and the data [...]
Peak oil theorist goes mainstream in Cape Town
It takes a confident person to stand up in front of a hall packed with oil investors to talk peak oil theory. But it’s an indication of the extent to which peak oil has captured the public imagination that a proponent [...]
A recent article in the UK's Sunday Times warns that, although UK natural gas prices are already at historically high levels, they are set to increase by 25% by next winter. Part of the problem is that the UK is increasingly dependent on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and [...]
Introduction
I can be a very persistent (some might say hard-headed) person. If someone doesn't understand something that I think is important - and readily understandable - I will often continue to explain it until I am sure they either understand it and won't admit it, or they are incapable of [...]
Swiss reject US, Jewish criticism of Iranian gas deal
BERN, Switzerland: Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on Tuesday brushed aside U.S. and Jewish criticism of a multibillion-dollar (-euro) gas deal she helped clinch with Iran, saying the Alpine republic does not need permission from the United States to advance its [...]
Iran allows drivers to buy gas above ration limit for holidays, but at higher prices
TEHRAN, Iran: Iran announced Monday it would ease gas rationing for the next month during major holidays, allowing people to buy gasoline above the imposed limit, but at a far higher price.The government introduced rationing [...]
This week European Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, moves the debate onto the key issue of bio-fuels. The comment I left on his blog pursued the theme of EroEI and energy efficiency. If you feel strongly about bio-fuels then PLEASE call by Andris Piebalg's blog and leave him a polite, [...]
[UPDATE] JP Morgan agrees to buy Bear Stearns for $2 a share (Stock closed Friday at $30).
Also, Fed cuts rates (on Sunday) from 3.5% to 3.25%.
The WSJ has a decent article describing the current financial crisis and pulling no punches:
Debt Reckoning: U.S. Receives a Margin Call
The [...]
1. Thou shalt not drive an SUV at 70 miles per hour on the freeway, with the air-conditioner running, just to pick up a half gallon of milk at the grocery store.2. Thou shalt not waste energy and water by enjoying long hot [...]
Eliot Spitzer's historic fall from grace was a blow to many progressives who believed that he would reform New York's dysfunctional state government, but his replacement may be equally transformative, but from a Peak Oil perspective.
David Paterson will be the nation's first legally blind Governor and only the [...]
US fuel dealers seek emergency heating oil release
NEW YORK, March 14 (Reuters) - U.S. heating oil distributors are planning to ask the government to release emergency heating oil supplies as part of a package to ease a cash crunch this winter, a source said Friday.The squeeze for dealers has [...]
Peter Newman is a hero of the sustainable transport movement in Australia. In this video he talks about the arrival of record oil prices and peak oil.
Peter Newman has spent thirty years of his career trying to prepare Australian cities for peak oil and he is one of the key [...]
Oil for China, Guns for Darfur
China's thirst for oil is causing bloodshed. So says New York-based nongovernmental organization Human Rights First, which on Mar. 13 released a report linking China's rising imports of Sudanese oil with sales of Chinese small weapons to Khartoum, used to further the deadly conflict [...]
The habit of bargaining has become so engrained that statements of shortage are quite commonly read as bargaining positions leading to a price hike, rather than that you literally can???t have any. But we are now in a time when the reality of growing shortages, and in more than just [...]
Preliminary data regarding oil production through December 2007 is now available from the US Energy Information Administration, so it is a good time to put together an updated summary of where we are now with respect to peak oil. The major themes of this presentation are
??? The US oil story
??? The [...]
Below the fold you can watch our interviews. [...]
The Peak Oil Crisis: The Last Spiral?
Events are moving faster and faster. Equity markets and the dollar are dropping. Oil, gas, diesel and commodities are surging as the investment of last resort.Margin calls are endangering the financial system. Real estate values and markets are falling. Exotic debt obligations are [...]
A few days ago, someone here posted a link to a story about skyrocketing farmland prices in the Midwest. It really made me angry to think about the inflationary chain reaction and the vicious chain of events our politicians have set into motion with these ethanol mandates. It [...]
Khurais. It is the best of fields. It is the worst of fields. It is another chip off the old block, destined to prolong Saudi Arabia's dominance as an oil producer. It is a chink in the armor of the Saudi Oil Miracle, a symbol of [...]
Oil crosses record $110, despite supply rise
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Oil prices rebounded to another record high Wednesday afternoon after initially plummeting when a government report said supplies of crude and gasoline had risen much more than expected.In afternoon trading, U.S. light crude for April delivery surged to a [...]
Oil prices rocket close to 110 dollars a barrel
NEW YORK (AFP) - World oil prices continued their record charge Tuesday, rocketing close to 110 dollars amid lingering supply concerns and as the US dollar plumbed fresh lows against the euro.Traders say oil prices have also been propped up [...]
Average United States yields per unit area for various crops, 1900-2007. Yields are expressed as a multiplier of the 1900-1935 average. Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service. [break] This post continues an exercise I began a month or so ago of trying to figure out how civilization could be moved [...]
Gas prices near records, oil sets new record at $108.21
NEW YORK - Gasoline prices were poised Monday to set a new record at the pump, having surged to within half a cent of their record high of $3.227 a gallon. Oil prices, meanwhile, surged above $108 to a new [...]
In his second blog entry, Andris Piebalgs moves the focus to European energy security. A few choice excerpts for those who want to have a more spontaneous debate:
Europe is currently importing half of their energy needs, and according to most of the studies, our dependency may grow to 70%. [...]
Monday, March 3, apparently began with a tremendous boost. Internet reports, attributed to Jed Mouawad and the New York Times, contained this passage:"Still, today's market climate is markedly different from the energy crises of the 1970s and 1980s. These were brought about by sudden interruptions [...]
Cassandra's story is very old: she was cursed that she would always tell the truth and never be believed. But it is also a very modern story and, perhaps, the quintessential Cassandras of our age are the group of scientists who prepared and published in 1972 the book titled "The [...]
For much of its 47-year existence, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has been a cartel in name only. It could not, in practice, control oil prices because many of its members regularly breached the production quotas that were intended to regulate the market. [...]
This is a guest post by Garry Glazebrook, who is an urban transport consultant and urban planning lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney. The Sustainable Futures Fund is described in the Australian context, but with our population of 21 million and a local currency approaching 1:1 with the US [...]
New 'super-spike' might mean $200 a barrel oil
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- With $100-a-barrel here for now, Goldman Sachs says $200 a barrel could be a reality in the not-too-distant future in the case of a "major disruption."Goldman on Friday also boosted by $10 the low end of its 2008-2012 [...]
This post includes some ideas of Matt Mushalik, plus some of my analysis. Matt is a retired civil engineer and regional planner from Sydney, Australia.
If a person looks at published oil reserves, it is easy to get the idea that there are huge amounts of oil left to be extracted. [...]
Kjell Aleklett: ASPO and Peak oil theorists challenge Saudi Arabia
In Paris, March 2, 2008, Ali al-Naimi, oil minister for the world's largest crude producer, Saudi Arabia, and one of the oil industry's most influential figures, has been discussing Peak Oil. He has stated that Saudi Arabia, which already has [...]
Oil Rises Above $104 to Record on OPEC Output, Venezuela Tanks.
This is the comment thread for the poll, which is in the next post below. (Sorry, there's some glitch that I can't figure out to put them in the same thread.)
I have been a fan of Robert Bryce’s writing for a long time. His style is witty and entertaining, and he is a debunker-extraordinaire. His newest book, Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence[...]
Oil Rises Above $104 to Record on OPEC Output, Venezuela Tanks
(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose above $104 a barrel to a record in New York after OPEC gave no indication it will increase production, U.S. fuel inventories declined and Venezuela sent tanks to its border with Colombia.Crude oil [...]
This post looks at the role the USA plays in global grain (wheat, corn, sorghum) and soybean (soya bean) trade, since the USA is to a large extent the world's breadbasket and there are concerns over this role in the light of the current corn-to-ethanol expansion. The article begins by [...]
And then there's Lovelock who's at it again:
Somewhat unexpectedly, Lovelock concedes that the [...]
Nuclear cannibals: Nuclear power will feed on itself
Nuclear energy production must increase by more than 10 percent each year from 2010 to 2050 to meet all future energy demands and replace fossil fuels, but this is an unsustainable prospect. According to a report published in Inderscience's International Journal of [...]
An argument often heard against wind is that it costs a lot in public subsidies for a solution that will always have a limited
impact (because it still produces only a small fraction of overall needs, and because of its unreliability linked to its
intermitten nature). This is an argument [...]
The real lessons of Cuba and peak oilThis is a guest post from kiashu. People looking at changing to a low fossil fuel use society, whether the change comes about due to necessity (peak oil) or by choice (reducing greenhouse gas emissions), often look about for historical and current examples of countries which had large fossil fuel [...] Bread and Oil: Rising Food Prices and the Middle East
This is a guest post by Yair Wallach. Originally from Jerusalem, he is completing his PhD in Cultural History in Birkbeck College, the University of London (writing about Palestine/Israel between 1858 and 1948). During his five years of study in London he has lived in precarious conditions, spending many months [...]
DrumBeat: March 3, 2008
The government is considering a voucher scheme to help the poorest people pay their gas and electricity bills, the BBC has learned. DrumBeat: March 2, 2008
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian February oil exports slumped to the lowest level since 2004 as record-high crude export duties forced oil firms to re-route volumes to domestic refineries, while output stagnated for a second month in a row. Andris Piebalgs' Blog
Andris Piebalgs is the European Energy Commissioner with responsibility for shaping European Union (EU) energy policy. These policies may then be adopted by the European Parliament and will effectively shape Europe's energy future. Mr Piebalgs has an informative web site where he has newly installed a [...] DrumBeat: March 1, 2008
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