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Many more articles are available through the Energy Bulletin homepage
Jeffrey J. Brown on The Reality Report (Audio)
The Reality Report, Global Public Media
Jeffrey J. Brown is an oil exploration geoscientist, primarily in Texas. This episode of the Reality Report looks at “net oil exports,” and how the energy crisis creates the need to transform from an economy of mass global consumers to one of local producers. His website is: graphoilogy.blogspot.com/.
Jason Bradford hosts The Reality Report, broadcast on KZYX&Z in Mendocino County, CA.
(12 September 2007)
The End of Oil, The Start of Tasty Food
Deconstructing Dinner, Global Peak Oil
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a group acting as an energy policy advisor to 26 member countries. This is the most important body at the forefront of researching global energy supplies and predicting and suggesting how resources should be allocated. In July 2007, the IEA, for the first time ever, changed their tune from what had long been an ongoing state of optimism in terms of global supplies of oil. In a publication titled “Medium-Term Oil Market Report”, the IEA addresses the possibility of Peak Oil, a state in which the global supplies reach their peak and then proceed to decline. Peak Oil has long been denied by major oil producers, so needless to say, such a report can be seen as monumental.
In light of this report, we are going to revisit with a voice last heard here on the program in October of 2006, and that is Julian Darley of the Sebastapol, California-based Post Carbon Institute. Julian recently visited Nelson following an invitation by The West Kootenay Eco Society. Julian spoke to an audience on the current global supplies of oil, and he shared a number of very innovative projects Post Carbon Institute is working on including what he refers to as a Local Energy Garden. Deconstructing Dinner was on hand to record his presentation.
Launching the broadcast we explore segments from two films dating from 1950 and 1960 respectively. These films were created to educate the public on the benefits of oil and how this non-renewable resource became the foundation for agriculture and food – a food system we now embrace today.
Deconstructing Dinner is designed to educate listeners on the impacts our food choices have on ourselves, our communities and the planet. The show, hosted by Jon Steinman, is produced at Kootenay Co-op Radio (CJLY) in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.
Julian Darley, President, Post Carbon Institute (Sebastapol, CA) – Julian Darley is founder and director of Post Carbon Institute and Global Public Media. He is the author of High Noon for Natural Gas: the New Energy Crisis (2004). Julian has an MSc in Environment and Social Research from University of Surrey in the UK, an MA in Journalism and Communications from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in Music & Russian. Julian recently moved from Vancouver, BC and now lives in Sebastopol, California, USA.
(12 September 2007)
The Amazing Power of King Hubbert (…?)
Euan Mearns, The Oil Drum: Europe
This post examines the impact of delaying oil field developments and producing at below capacity upon reserves estimates made using Hubbert Linearisation. Robert Rapier had a similar post some months back using synthetic data. This post uses real data from Norway and three different story lines are described and analysed.
…The significance for predicting national and global oil reserves and peak oil are discussed.
(12 September 2007)
This Week in Petroleum 9-12-07
Prof. Goose, The Oil Drum
Gas inventories eeked up. Oil stocks declined more than expected, but are still at the top end of historical ranges. A decline in active refinery capacity was also another factor. Crude topped out at $80.18 today before settling at $79.91. (The text of the EIA’s weekly report can be found here).
(12 September 2007)
The Round-Up: September 11th 2007
Stoneleigh, The Oil Drum: Canada
In her new book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, Canadian writer Naomi Klein uses the example of public sector dismantling in both New Orleans and Iraq as an illustration of Milton Friedman’s idea that crisis presents an opportunity to push a pre-existing agenda and achieve sweeping change. This is both an important point and a timely warning, as the developing international credit crunch is arguably approaching a critical phase. The inability to roll over short term commercial paper, often backed by dubious loans, is presenting an enormous challenge to a banking system short of cash. The coming economic upheaval could be sufficient to precipitate far-reaching socio-political changes on a global scale.
On the energy front, CIBC World Markets claims that Canada has 50-70% of the investable oil reserves in the world, for oil majors increasingly shut out of producing regions. However, those reserves suffer from a shortage of pipeline capacity for both inputs and output. Saskatchewan decides against ‘clean coal’ on cost grounds, but continues to maintain a low royalty, low tax regime for natural resources. In the meantime, the Canadian wind industry is being consolidated in fewer and fewer hands, and there is strong resistance to uranium mining in rural Ontario.
As for environmental news, Holland is developing a 200 year plan for climate change, but with the assumption that sea-levels will rise very little despite evidence of rapid change in Greenland’s icesheets. There is considerable concern over the potential for warming to activate microbial oxidation of the organic matter of the arctic tundra, which could ignite a devastating spiral of positive feedback.
(11 September 2007)
Many more news and headlines at original. Stoneleigh emphasis financial news.
ODAC News – 12 September
Douglas Low, Oil Depletion Analysis Centre
Oil Prices
1a/ Crude Oil Trades Near Record on Fourth-Quarter Supply Concern (Bloomberg, Wed 12 Sep)
1b/ US Agency Sees Oil Prices Staying Above $70 Through 2008 (Energy Intelligence [Oil Daily], Wed 12 Sep)
1c/ Oil Rises to Record $80 on Larger-Than-Expected Supply Decline (Bloomberg, Wed 12 Sep)
1d/ PETROLEUM ($US/bbl) (Bloomberg, Wed 12 Sep)
Global Refinery Production
2/ IEA Says Global Refinery Runs to Fall 1.4 Million Barrels a Day (Bloomberg, Wed 12 Sep)
Economy – Subprime scam, Credit Squeeze
3a/ Bracing for collateral damage among Wall Street’s big houses (IHT, Mon 10 Sep)
3b/ More US subprime borrowers hit (Financial Times, Thu 06 Sep)
3c/ Andreas Whittam Smith: There’s a storm brewing – and it’s coming this way (The Independent, Tue 11 Sep)
3d/ Too close to home (BBC News [Robert Peston], Mon 10 Sep)
Mexican Oil Production
4/ Pemex Blames Sabotage in 6 Separate Pipeline Blasts (Bloomberg, Mon 10 Sep)
Geopolitics / LNG – Algeria
5/ Sonatrach seeks damages from Repsol and Gas Natural (Elkhabar [Algeria], Thu 06 Sep)
Russia – Car Imports
6/ Russian Car Imports Up 60% in January-July (FC Novosti, Mon 10 Sep)
Saudi Arabia -Natural Gas Supplies
7/ Aluminium smelter planned for Saudi (Arabian Business, Tue 11 Sep)
Canadian Tar Sands / OPEC Oil Exports
8a/ OPEC exports predicted to fall putting Canadian oil sands in global energy spotlight (CNN Money, Tue 11 Sep)
8b/ OPEC’s Growing Call on Itself (CIBC World Markets, Occasional Report #62, Mon 10 Sep)
8c/ Oil sands facing capacity squeeze (Globe and Mail, Mon 10 Sep)
Energy Intelligence – Various
9a/ Rosneft Will Not Extend China Crude Supply Contract Past 2010 (Energy Intelligence [International Oil Daily], Wed 12 Sep)
9b/ Another Shtokman Surprise Coming? (Energy Intelligence [World Gas Intelligence], Wed 12 Sep)
9c/ Gazprom’s Eastern Strategy (Energy Intelligence [World Gas Intelligence], Wed 12 Sep)
9d/ PetroChina Goes For Pricey Term LNG (Energy Intelligence [World Gas Intelligence], Wed 12 Sep)
Economy – UK
10/ Imports of oil hit trade deficit data (Financial Times, Wed 12 Sep)
Food – Wheat Prices
11/ Wheat tops $9 mark for first time (BBC News, Wed 12 Sep)
(12 September 2007)
