Environment – May 16

McKibben: Global warming about to hit high gear / The Great Coral Reef disaster /
World Bank: China, India are fast-growing polluters / CO2levels accelerating / Christian Aid: climate change ‘will kill 182m Africans’ /
Long-haul breaks spell bad news for the climate /
Meltdown fear as Arctic ice cover falls to record winter low / WSJ: Scientists explain climate-change data / Report: Americans and climate change

NYT doing Cheney’s dirty work again

It’s a big disappointment to see papers like the New York Times or the Guardian peddle the Cheney/Blair “war of the worlds” vision of energy markets. This is the vision whereby, in order to make people forget that it is … their refusal … to reduce demand through conservation or efficiency that has brought about the current energy crisis, they invent external enemies to blame for that situation.

Politics & economics – May 14

The Russian bear is back – and this time it’s gas-powered /
Chavez preaches socialism to European summit / The pipes carry clout with the oil / The real story of pricey oil / Science Magazine: More silliness on the Hill [about energy policy]

Triage for the post-peak oil age

When casualties overwhelm battlefield doctors, they are often forced to sort the wounded into three groups: those who will survive without treatment, those who will likely die even with treatment, and those who will probably live but only with treatment. In the post-peak oil age we will likely be faced with a similar situation in deciding which activities a lower-energy society can support.