Other energy – Mar 30

Big Oil’s big windfall (inadvertent subsidies) /
Pentagon seminars seek solutions to U.S. oil ‘addiction’ /
Biotech crops will hurt family farmers and deepen the energy crisis /
Agriculture interests push ambitious renewable-energy goal /
Daylight Savings – A drop in the Oil Drum? /
New fuel economy rules issued to auto industry

Environment – Mar 29

Biodiversity meets the bottom line /
Brides shun Orissa’s beach boys /
Science fact or science fiction? /
BuzzFlash interview: Elizabeth Kolbert /
Global warming: Your chance to change the climate

Peak oil – Mar 29

The global oil disaster scenario /
Global Public Media: Savinar, Maori Party, Bartlett, Cooke, Wright, more /
When will peak oil tip? (from backwardation to contango)

Carbon: too much, not too little

Suppose that availabilty of oil is going to decline to levels far below those of today. The question is, so what? The US has enough easily accessible coal to supply hundreds of years of consumption at current rates, and the same is true of the rest of the world.

Other energy – Mar 28

Cracking oil is not a funny business /
Clean-coal effort off to slow start /
UK wind power ‘ahead of predictions’ /
On the ethanol bandwagon: big names and big risks

Politics & economics – Mar 28

China lifts price of domestic oil products /
Follow the chopsticks /
Chat With Chomsky (remark on oil and Iraq war) /
Vague law and hard lobbying add up to billions for big oil /
UK-Aussi forum looks to energy, India and China

Solutions & sustainability – Mar 28

Michael Pollan: The modern hunter-gatherer /
California makes itself the most efficient place in North America /
Home builders turning green /
Farm goes for economic, ecological diversity /
US, African scientists seek biotech answer to hunger (sorghum)

Beyond petroleum?

In Bush’s state of the union address we all heard him say the words “addicted to oil”. I was elated for the rest of the week. I know, I know. This doesn’t mean he’ll actually do anything about it, but at least we can now hear the problem addressed from all fronts.