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How much energy can our forests provide? & The possibilities and consequences of large-scale oil cutoffs

By Carl Etnier, originally published by Equal Time Radio

March 9, 2011

As oil prices rise, heating our homes with wood becomes more attractive. How much can we substitute wood for other energy sources, particularly oil and propane heating? Steven Hamburg is the Chief Scientist of the Environmental Defense Fund, and he co-authored a recent report on the potential of northeastern forests to meet our energy needs: Forest Biomass and Bioenergy: Opportunities and Constraints in the Northeastern United States

Tom Whipple writes the weekly Peak Oil Review, and his latest edition says, “Collapse would not be too strong a term to apply to the global economy should Saudi oil production of 9 million b/d be halted or severely restricted by domestic unrest.” We talk to him about what he sees that indicates Saudi production may become shut in, and why that’s so important.

Carl Etnier hosts.

Download the audio for this episode here.

Carl Etnier

Tags: Biomass, Consumption & Demand, Energy Policy, Fossil Fuels, Geopolitics & Military, Media & Communications, Oil, Renewable Energy

A future of ‘fewer and less’ may be unavoidable. But how do we get there humanely?

By Robert Jensen, Savage Minds

With age, I’ve become more aware of the world’s complexity but also better equipped to come to simple, albeit painful, conclusions: We need to replace fantasies of endless growth with ideas about managing the contraction.

September 16, 2026

Affordability, not scarcity, is the real energy crisis

By Gail Tverberg, Our Finite World

In this post, I examine differences in economic behaviour by comparing two types of periods: those with low energy affordability and those with high energy affordability.

August 26, 2026

Inside the struggle to dismantle America’s greenhouse gas data

By Rachel Santarsiero, Ashley Braun, DeSmog Blog

New accounts show the oil and gas industry trying to weaken methane reporting while saving the federal emissions system it relies on.

August 24, 2026

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