Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Byron W. King He was a frail old fellow, dressed in loose-fitting clothes, working in his garden and chopping potatoes. Less than a year before, in 1945, he was in command of one of the largest fleets that had ever been assembled by any nation. His name was Takeo Kurita, vice admiral of the former Imperial Japanese Navy.
Along with most who have read it, I was much impressed with the Chicago Tribune special segment on oil this weekend. I would highly recommend that you both read the articles and watch the hour-long video that accompanies them.
After constructing several alternative scenarios [for the economic impact of an oil crisis], it became abundantly clear they all produced results that were strikingly similar. Every scenario produced higher rates of inflation and unemployment with declining GDP. The only real difference was in the timing and degree of severity.
The Nature of Things with David Suzuki celebrates Cuba’s success in providing for itself in the face of a massive economic crisis, and how its latest revolutions, an agricultural revolution and a revolution in science and medicine are having repercussions around the world.
Part 1: 7pm July 30 CBC
Part 2: 7pm August 6
Artists, we need you. We need your vision and your courage to tell the truth. We’ve got plenty of “analysis,” and enough punditry to last us forever. What we lack are the gut-wrenching stories that put a human face on the collapse that is upon us.
China reins in fast growth of coal-to-liquid fuel projects / Study: Coal-to-liquid plants future of U.S. energy / The return of Nazi oil
It’s not all about oil (there’s more to rising gas prices than the oil supply) /
Oil execs speak out (interviews) / Oil boom puts stress on water supply
Heatwave with a global grip / Methane makers yield to science / How global warming has thrown nature into disarray (Scotland) / Acid waters, dissolving shellfish / Capital pollution solution? (carbon trading)
Social ecologist Murray Bookchin dies at 85 / Redefining American beauty, by the yard /
The environmental benefits of vegetarianism / Sustainability Network Newsletter #60
If we take climate change seriously, there aren’t many tangential issues. We emit greenhouse gases whenever we use fuel or electricity — when we drive or fly, heat or cool our homes, grow or manufacture or transport our products.
Will Cuba’s offshore oil discovery finally break the US trade embargo? /
Russia: a new gas strategy emerges / Learning energy efficiency in Kiev
What does it take to quench America’s mighty thirst for gasoline? Pulitzer-winning correspondent Paul Salopek traced gas pumped at a suburban Chicago station to the fuel’s sources around the globe. In doing so, he reveals how our oil addiction binds us to some of the most hostile corners of the planet—and to a petroleum economy edging toward crisis. [A milestone in U.S. coverage: multiple articles and high-quality online video. Topics include peak oil, urban sprawl and Saudi reserves.]
