Fossil Fuel Headlines – 3 July, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

US House Says No to China Oil Deal / Theft of gas rises as price goes up / “Peak Land” and Sardines / Dreaming of ‘controlled’ thermo-nuclear fusion – The ITER project and Peak Oil / Some long-haul worries about diesel / Oil Is Where You Find It / ‘Clean energy’ power station? / Pipeline protesters call for Shell boycott / ‘Security Cooperation’ Bill Includes Mexican Oil Production Measure / Energy cold war is on – China and India race to acquire PetroKazakhstan / India, Turkey to set up joint hydrocarbon sector working group / Driven by energy shortages, China races to expand nuclear power industry / Energy Adviser Who Solicited Enron to Help Write Nat’l Energy Policy to Be Named Chair of FERC / Japan and China face off over energy / Energy ration cards for everyone planned in UK / Asians drive slower, shed ties to curb $60 oil hit /

Environment/Sustainability – 1 July, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

Blair may snub US on climate /
Nightmare vision of underwater Britain /
Climate change warnings ignored /
Flushed drugs in waterways /
CO2 turning oceans acidic /
‘Clean energy’ power station in Scotland /
Clean cars in California should interest other states /
Ethanol’s potential: looking beyond corn

Fossil Fuel Headlines – 1 July, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

Caltech professor outlines energy/climate problem, proposes solar /
Bush condemns Kyoto, dependence on Middle East oil /
PO doesn’t mesh with our picture of the world /
Review: Deffeyes new book is unclear on future /
Oilcast in Spanish /
Shell escapes charges over reserves reporting /
Lundberg: Active citizenry before petrocollapse? /
PO article from 5 years ago /
Discussion on peak natural gas /
US uproar about China’s Unocal bid (video) /
Some experts unconcerned about Unocal /
The Oil Drum IS concerned – is oil still fungible? /
Foreign buyers not new to US oil patch

Fidel Castro warns about energy crisis

Cuban President Fidel Castro warned Caribbean heads of state about an upcoming energy crisis and environmental problems caused by uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources and the “crazy waste” of oil-derived energy… “The crisis is more serious and deeper than imagined”, [he said].

Can Democracy Survive Without Fossil Fuels?

As fossil fuels deplete, especially oil and natural gas, will we be able to maintain the solidarity and consent that make modern democracies so stable? Or will we each fall back on our competitive natures as we struggle for our share of dwindling resources.

Congressman Bartlett discusses peak oil with President Bush

Roscoe Bartlett, the Maryland congressman who has spoken on peak oil on the floor of the House, had an extensive conversation with the president today on the matter and said he was “very happy with the meeting.” While he declined to release any details, the fact that he was happy with the meeting is a hopeful sign.

Fossil Fuel Headlines – 30 June, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

BP: world oil consumption hits record in 2004 /
Don’t lower taxes on oil /
Critic: Kunstler is a ‘reactionary envrionmentalist’ who isn’t nice /
Declaration of Independence from Mid-East oil /
OPEC, investment and efficiency are keys, says IEA /
Coming to terms with oil supply squeeze /
Cost of diesel worries truckers /
Greenpeace: fusion project ‘senseless stupidity’ /
Are LNG terminals safe? /
Spotlight on gasification

Other Energy Headlines – 30 June, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

Chavez’s oil initiative for the Caribbean /
Building roads won’t cure Africa’s poverty /
Saudi ambassador to U.S. resigns /
Dim outlook for energy bill /
U.S. to open energy office in China (s-l-o-w-l-y) /
Bidding war brewing over Unocal /
Mexico to reduce taxes on Pemex /
Mexico: the state, oil and silver /
Clearing smoke may trigger global warming rise /
Clues of climate and the Bible’s seven lean years /
Guardian special report on global warming /
One in six countries facing food shortage /
Los Alamos to Kyoto’s rescue /
China – “society of small peace/comfort/health”

Peak Oil: Two Approaches, One Answer

There are two distinct ways to think about and present the phenomenon of peak oil. It’s easy to describe what peak oil actually is, it’s the global peak in extraction rate of petroleum. The difficulty of course is determining the date and associated extraction rate of peak oil. This is where I see the two camps.

Here the geologists method of Hubbert and Campbell is compared to the analysis’s method of Chris Skrebowski with uncanny agreement.