Energy Headlines – June 5, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

“Oil Storm” movie on Fox tonight /
Global Warming, meet Peak Oil /
Kunstler in Santa Cruz /
Drum’s last word on PO… for today /
Oil Addiction: The World in Peril (book) /
Daily commentary on PO news from Australia /
Washington eyes imminent Saudi succession contest /
Cheap flights spark runway chaos /
Swiss 2000-watt society /
Rx for global warming: seaweed /
Satellite toll plan to make UK drivers pay by the mile /
Chain gangs raid Ford 4×4 dealers /
Staff to wear thermal underwear to fight pollution, global warming

New UN atlas reveals environmental devastation

“People living in San Francisco or London may look at these images of deforestation or melting Arctic ice, and wonder what it has to do with them. That these changes are the result of other people’s lifestyles and consumption habits hundreds and thousands of kilometres away. But they would be wrong.” (Downloadable chapters and images available.)

Energy Headlines – June 4, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

Lisbon ASPO conference – documents and links /
Countdown to a meltdown /
Oil crisis film coming /
Getting ready for the oil wars /
Peak Oil Russian style /
Social justice and the path forward from peak oil /
Kunstler, Shar on Australian youth radio /
Green candidate on oil’s imminent decline /
Clinton on energy /
Interview with IEA director /
Nicaraguans protest state of emergency /
Rebellion grows in Bolivia /
Company wants to drill at Colo. nuke site /
Vote on Long Beach LNG /
Japan squeezes to get the most of costly fuel /
World Environmental Day conference in SF:
Solar / Poverty and pollution / Trash? / Stop shopping / London’s traffic plan / ‘Tattooed freak’ a pioneer in recycling computers /
Rev. Billy warns of rampant consumerism’s eternal price

Energy Headlines – June 3, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

Would that peaking were so transient or distant /
Drum on PO: Part 5 /
Bilderbergers discussing Peak Oil? /
Blowing our oil inheritance /
Kissinger warns of energy conflict /
Carr forced to warm to nuclear option for Australia /
Hot summer could bring power outages, price spikes /
Iraq’s other resistance: oil workers /
Bolivia on brink as gas protests block capital /
Opposition to U.S. makes Chávez a hero to many /
Strategy switches to cities at global conference in S.F. /
Urban centers slow to turn green /
Planning sustainable cities /
Gardening with one leg and one hip /
All for want of a few veggies /
Marra Farm plants seeds for South Park community /
Bay transit headed wrong way /
From jail cells to solar cells /
California’s Arnold goes green /
U.N. encourages companies to sign Global Compact /
Toyota: household robots by 2010

Executive Evasion

World Energy (vol. 8 no. 1) carries a series of articles by the Chief Executives of the major oil companies… They speak of the magnitude of the challenge they face in meeting anticipated demand, rejecting any sense of fatalism. They try valiantly to convey a positive attitude as befits their position, but their tone lacks conviction.

Energy Headlines – June 2, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

Kevin Drum jolts blogosphere with Peak Oil series /
Dale Alan Pfeiffer (“From the Wilderness”) interview /
New coal powerplant has escape valve for greenhouse gases /
Nuclear is too expensive /
Nuclear is simpler and safer /
Sweden shuts nuclear plant in shift to wind /
Venezuela vows to shut tax-evading oil companies /
Russian oil output stagnates /
OPEC: No More Light Crude Capacity /
China: 3 oil magnates on energy /
Swiss power giant warns of coming energy crunch /
Power shortages threaten India’s boom /
North Korea faces food shortages /
Power plants on Navajo land /
Making the community better (little steps) /
Schwarzenegger unveils global warming plan at U.N. conference /
Putting him at odds with other Republicans /
Don’t believe the hype about Schwarzenegger’s plan /
Alternative visions of sustainability /
Green utopia on Treasure Island /
New Urbanism in Denver /
Decent wages is part of sustainability /
Pollution-free ship? /
LED evolution could replace light bulbs /
Great wine… and sustainable /
Powered by hydrogen but pricier than a Rolls /
Ditch the car, we’re running out of oil

Energy Headlines – May 31, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

PO article on 200 mainstream news sites /
PO press coverage doesn’t mean much, unless… /
Flying Talking Donkey is back /
Interview with Matt Savinar /
You call this tough? Think ’70s /
Japanese dressing down to cut energy-use /
Airline losses may widen on oil cost /
Refining problems swell oil prices /
Brazil plans nuclear plants /
Nicaragua declares energy emergency /
Oil on Ice – film on ANWR /
Postcards from the global food system (parts 1-3) /
The Toyota Prius and climate change /
Less war in the world? /
Donella H. Meadows on “Places to Interview in a System” /
Growing fly maggots as poultry feed

Energy Headlines – June 1, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

June ASPO Newsletter /
Kunstler – a stopped clock? /
A picture of depletion /
As resources fail /
Two things of note /
Economic theory and oil market realities /
Dirty money: coal /
Nicaragua state of emergency /
New scramble for Africa /
Iran proposes “Great Islamic Initiative”/
China’s Manifest Destiny /
Oil shale deposits generate buzz /
Monitoring threats of environmental changes /
Energy Self Sufficiency Newsletter /
World Environment Day (UN conference) /
World mayors seeing green /
Earth summit places global responsibility in local hands (series) /
The clean and green challenge /
Building living cities /
Let’s get rolling with bikes /
Diet for a sustainable planet (“locavores”) /
Die die SUVs please die

Peak oil solutions: Is simpler better?

There are many reasons to believe that contemporary civilization has reached the point of diminishing returns from complexity. Proposals that rely purely on technical fixes for our energy problems tend to increase complexity. Thus, new technologies may fail to deliver their promised results.

Energy Headlines – May 30, 2005

Staff, Energy Bulletin

Kunstler: Pipeline-istan /
Infiltrating Bilderberg 2005 /
Philly paper starts oil series /
Peak Oil Part 2 from Wash. Monthly /
Classic peak oil article from 70s (in a fishing magazine!) /
Energy conference in Cleveland /
There’s democracy, and there’s an oil pipeline /
Road cuts deep into Brazil’s Amazon /
Bolivia’s gas reserves prove a mixed blessing /
Greenpeace row over un-PC prizes /
Wisconsin power plant called a setback for environment /
US heating oil projected to increase by 30% next year /
Plastic food containers linked with breast cancer /
Postcards from the global food system (analysis) /
Grass-burning power station on the way in UK /
Washington state turning to clean energy

China exploring ways to use forex reserves to buy oil – report

China is exploring ways to use some of its huge foreign exchange reserves to buy imported oil, the Shanghai Securities News reported, citing an unidentified source.

The newspaper said the plan, which was first proposed as early as 2000, would reach the twin objectives of making better use of the nation’s foreign exchange and ensuring vital oil supplies.

Our Petroleum Predicament

This article about M. King Hubbert reprinted from a 1970s fishing magazine (of all places) reminds us that after Hubbert there were many forecasts that greatly overestimated the US total recoverable oil resources, including the major institutions making similar global preditions today.