Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
James Leigh In the heady month of July 2008 oil skyrocketed to $147 a barrel more than doubling the price of crude over the 12 months to that time. Many thought oil would race past the $150 mark on the way to $200 and to $300 a barrel, and beyond in the imminent year or two ahead.
Is the end of a cheap fossil fuel era at hand? How will we make the transition from a world dependent on hydrocarbon energy to one powered by a mix of hydrocarbons and renewable energy, and can we profit from this coming shift? Answers to these questions are found in a new book by Brian Hicks and Chris Nelder.
Humankind has control issues, and they’re about to get a lot worse.
My friends and I see this shift as a good thing – youth leading the way toward decisions that could result in more livable communities, better health, lower emissions and less fossil fuel dependency.
Klare: Russia and Georgia: all about oil
Russia starts “Lukewarm War” with the West
Conflict narrows oil options for West
A digest of news and commentary from a UK peak oil perspective
China chemicals starve Indian pharma
Transport costs could alter world trade
Exports account for one-third of China’s emissions
Soaring fuel prices and green pressures herald comeback for Britain’s waterways
Fuel theft increases in the UK
Companies face crackdown on electricity greenwash
There is likely to be a very short path from petroleum shortages to electricity shortages. Many issues are involved, from the fact that the fuels used in electricity production are themselves dependent on petroleum for their extraction and transportation, to the current state of the US electricity infrastructure, to the impact of peak oil on debt financing.
How serious is the problem of annual vegetable variety erosion? Very! Thousands of varieties have already been lost. Kent Whealy, founder of Seed Savers Exchange, figures that only 20 percent of the pea varieties once in cultivation are still available…Home gardeners have benefited from hybrids that are more disease resistant, more vigorous and higher yielding, but the cost has been high. Not collecting seeds means buying seeds and being dependent on seed companies, which means fewer options for home growing.
How adaptable are we? … Our most pressing problem is the abrogation of parental responsibilities and the tacit usurping of those responsibilities by an entity that is far from benign.
As crude oil gets more and more precious in upcoming years, strategic geopolitical moves to control a larger share of that oil will become more frequent. Putin has forcefully made his point about who will control the Caucasus.
