Cities, peak oil, and sustainability

Neither the mega-cities nor the survivalist’s bunker will be viable in a post-oil future. The places with the best chance of surviving an oil peak will be cities of less than a million people, ranging down to well-placed smaller cities and towns.

ASPO December Newsletter

Automobile manufacturers awake to Peak Oil
/ Rimini Conference
/ BP Forecast of Oil Price
/ Saudi Reserves
/ Country Re-Assessment – Syria
/ Kuwait Confession
/ Voices of Sense in Washington
/ More confusion from the International Energy Agency / and much more…

Climate change – Dec 8

How America plotted to stop Kyoto deal /
UN climate talks enter key phase /
Bid to team rich and poor in sustaining forests /
Study: temperate forests could worsen global warming /
Efficiency, intensity, and getting from here to there (the US and CO2) /
WWF Report: 2005 will be hottest, stormiest /
Scientist hopes for CO2 storage

Solutions & sustainability – Dec 8

Whistler 2020 (fully-sustainable, low-footprint) /
Bike industry, advocates unite, and Congress starts to notice /
How to live off the land (local produce) /
Gardener on the Roof /
Modes de transport (human-powered) /
Folke Günthe talks about re-ruralisation /
Red Pepper: the clean green route to power

Peak oil – Dec 8

Lawmakers: US should prepare for global oil flow peak (Bartlett at hearing) /
Lundberg: Reflections on Amtrak peak-oil tour /
Book review: “The Final Energy Crisis” /
UPI analysis: Future of oil /
Deffeyes criticizes media /
“End of Suburbia” video now on-line

Politics & economics – Dec 8

Some thoughts on “Syriana” /
All roads lead to cities, transforming India /
China: No carbon copy of the west /
Warmth for poor consumers /
Grab bag of energy stories /
WSJ discussion on corp. responsibility, conservation /
Pennsylvania governor proposes national plan for renewables /
Iraqi oil industry in crisis

Visioning the Future

How do we create a worthwhile future without a way of visioning it? Rob Hopkins compares environmental disaster movies to some permaculture teaching techniques, and suggests we may need a new superhero to lead us into a post-oil-peak world.

Politics and Economics – Dec 7

Iran prepares to sell oil in euros / Energy costs hit US manufacturers / How oil conservation hurts governments / In today’s India, status comes with four wheels / Bicycle boom pushes Zimbabwe inflation / China refuses to cut energy use / Right wingers going for the green / With oil prices off their peak, are supplies assured?

Climate change – Dec 7

Special issue of Business Week on climate change /
Warming effect in a world without snow /
Emissions don’t respect borders /
U.S. climate official’s work is questioned /
US facing pressure to sign up to future climate protocols /
Global warming cartoon /

Peak oil – Dec 7

Peak Oil and the Philosophers Stone (psychology of PO /
Australia broadcast on the “Real oil crisis” /
NZ Green Fitzsimons: Surely the time is now? /
Kunstler: Uncharted territory /
Peoria teachers examine PO /
Monbiot: The most destructive crop on earth is no solution to the energy crisis /
Peak Oil hits the hill /
Ruppert vs Corsi on PO and abiotic oil [canceled]