The Renewed Activist

As an environmental activist at the peak of industrial civilization I’ve always felt like the underdog. I’ve imagined myself as a street-protesting, petition-signing, door-to-door knocking David trying to bring down a money-wielding, corporate-clad, government-shielded Goliath.

Water scarcity – Aug 23

Map details global water stress /
Need for Water Could Double in 50 Years, U.N. Study Finds /
Scientists Call for Water Conservation

Food & agriculture – Aug 23

When we finally take the off ramp (from oil-fueled agriculture) / Organic farmers up against the Wal-Mart / Will the world starve in the 21st century? / Namibia: fuel hike starts to bite farmers

Solutions & sustainability – Aug 23

– Lower fertility: a wise investment
– Roof rainwater-harvesting questions answered
– Ted Trainer; Spiritual significance of the Simpler Way
– “Your Money or Your Life”: Financial independence – for us common folk
– Start with the land
– Vermonters begin grappling with global peak oil

Peak oil – Aug 23

– Oil output set to peak, but no fuel shortage-UBS
– Australian interview with Richard Heinberg
– Peak oil odyssey: the revolution will not be televised, nor will television be revolutionized
– FEASTA: The economic challenge of sustainability

Biofuels – Aug 22

Interview: Robert Rapier on Vinod Khosla, Proposition 87, peak oil, and the need for transportation electrification / Indonesia counting on biofuel / Brazil’s road to energy independence /
Balkan biofuel could be on the horizon

The missing repertoire

The IPPR report presented a textual analysis of the kinds of language (‘repertoires’) used in the media when discussing climate… But there is a huge missing category… [t]hat category is the straight ‘It’s serious (and interesting) but don’t panic’ repertoire.

Oil industry – Aug 22

Trust eroding in oil pipelines close to home / Simmons: pipeline crisis ‘could halve flow of oil’ / BP denies it manipulated Alaska pipeline data / Exxon: oil, gas and that’s it / Oil prices ‘may retreat to $58 in 2008’ / Costs surge threatens Big Oil’s output plans

Climate change policy – Aug 22

Leading Canada Liberal proposes carbon tax /
Interview: Nancy Skinner, U.S. Director, The Climate Group / Limiting climate change: the neglected obstacle

Geopolitics – Aug 22

Energy crisis – the culprit is national oil companies & socialism [Not!] / Sino-Cuba energy relations raise concern in Washington /
Russian pipeline monopoly warns Lithuanian refinery of long shutoff / Bolivia suspends a takeover of oil and gas / Japan and China race for African oil