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Peak Oil
Earthday Talk 2004
[ Cloud Rainforests, Overshoot and Peak Oil ]
(slides) / (PDF – 1.8MB)
For some or many of you, what I am about to discuss will make you uncomfortable. It unsettles me as well, but a proper understanding of reality is necessary now more than ever. “Hate” may be too strong a word for what some of you may feel towards me by the end of this talk, but I’ve been on the receiving end of “kill the messenger” reactions many times. So please be kind.
If what I say is totally new to you, don’t expect to understand it right away. It may take a long time for new ideas to sink in. You will have to do a lot of mental processing over time.
(29 Apr, 2004)
Ed: How a plant taxonomist discovered Peak Oil. Talk by Peak Oil activist Jason Bradford.
Energy-related News
You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe
Grist
Stats on how far we’ve come (or haven’t) since the first Earth Day
3.7 billion — world population in 1970 (1)
6.4 billion — world population in 2005 (1)
1,535 billion — kilowatt-hours of electricity used in the U.S. in 1970 (2)
3,837 billion — kilowatt-hours of electricity expected to be used in the U.S. in 2005 (3)
6.0 — percentage of electricity in U.S. consumed in 1970 produced from renewable sources (4)
6.7 — percentage of electricity in U.S. expected to be consumed in 2005 produced from renewable sources (3)
(22 Apr, 2005)
Bush Encounters Hurdles on Energy Agenda
AP (via SF Chronicle)
Running for president five years ago, George W. Bush pledged to jawbone energy-exporting nations to keep oil prices low and to win passage of legislation to spur more domestic energy production. Delivering on either count has proved difficult for the Texas oilman.
Soaring oil and gasoline prices are beginning to take a toll on U.S. economic growth and on Bush’s approval ratings. To get his long-stalled energy agenda passed, the president is putting more of his political prestige on the line.
(23 Apr, 2005)
Ed: This is just one of more than 280 articles on the subject listed by Google News
The Black Gold’s Curse: Despite several myths, energy security has become the new global concern
outlookindia.com (business news from India)
Opinion by R.K. PACHAURI (TERI – The Energy and Resources Inst) headquartered in India
Oil prices have reached record levels in recent months, and the IMF as well as analysts predict a future with little comfort for major oil importing countries. Energy security has emerged as a global concern even as several myths associated with the concept highlight a fear of physical disruptions in supply and the world running out of oil. In fact, such a prospect is unlikely. What is happening, however, is a reduction in reserves in non-OPEC nations, while increases in demand in China, India and, of course, the us continue unabated.
(2 May, 2005 edition)
China to control its reliance on oil imports
Xinhu
With looming challenges in energy resource management, China will lower its reliance on oil imports to around 35 percent by 2020, and seek to maintain it at that level, said Wang Tao, senior vice-president of the World Petroleum Congress (WPC), in Boao, South China’s Hainan Province Friday.
A large petroleum consumer, China faces serious challenges in energy resource management as its economy has been growing at an average rate of 9 percent in the past 20 years.
Energy supplies, especially oil supply, cannot meet the demand of the soaring economy, said Wang, at a roundtable meeting, part of the Annual Conference 2005 of Boao Forum for Asia.
(23 Apr, 2005)
Related:
China to use renewable energy to avoid over-dependence on imports AFP
All That Gas: Brazil leads the charge in alternative fuels ready to give crude oil a run for its money
outlookindia.com (business news from India)
Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro is known for its annual February festival, beautiful beaches, and its fun-loving mindset. It’s a city where there’s a party on 24 hours despite warnings by locals not to walk alone at nights. But at the state-owned Petrobras (short for Petróleo Brasileiro) headquarters, officials are seriously working on a blueprint to make Brazil a dominant player in the global energy game. For them, the time to act is now; they can party later—that is, once Petrobras cajoles fuel guzzlers like Japan, India and China to adopt ethanol as a petrol substitute to attain energy security
(2 May, 2005 edition)
Oil-hungry China takes Sudan under its wing
Telegraph (UK)
A metallic maze of chimneys, pipes and vents glitters on the horizon in the desert outside Khartoum, dominating the landscape for miles around.
This new oil refinery is the jewel in the crown of Sudan’s military regime. It forms the vital artery of a thriving oil industry that poured £1 billion into government coffers last year.
Without this windfall gain – likely to be far larger this year – President Omar al-Bashir could not maintain his military machine, let alone wage war against rebels in the western region of Darfur. Nor could he hope to withstand the international pressure that his bloody campaign in Darfur has brought upon him.
(23 Apr, 2005)
Solutions and Sustainability
None today
