Lundberg on the recent Peak Oil conferences
Coverage and commentary from a long-time activist on the two Peak Oil conferences earlier in May in Washington D.C.
Activism
Investors pressure Exxon for lagging on climate change
Seventeen leading U.S. pension fund and other institutional investors controlling $658 billion in assets are pushing for a face-to-face-meeting with independent members of the Exxon Mobil board of directors as a result of growing financial world concerns that Exxon Mobil is “a company that fails to acknowledge the potential for climate change to have a profound impact on global energy markets, and which lags far behind its competitors in developing a strategy to plan for and manage these impacts.”
Solutions & sustainability – May 20
It’s easier being green at the local level /
Global food supply near the breaking point /
Lure of the urban veggie garden /
Last chance to save LA’s South Central Farm / Smart meters
Environment – May 20
European energy groups manipulate carbon trading for profit / Carbon dioxide is good for you /
Climate change: when policy cycles are circumvented (why the grassroots are weak) / Thank you for emitting / Gore-backed group will spend big to convince Americans climate change is real / Communicating climate change (getting people scared doesn’t work)
U.S. energy policy – May 19
Full ‘Energize America’ proposal released /
Congressional report: ‘Securing America’s energy future’ / ‘Kick the Oil Habit’ campaign kicks off / Democrats offer alternative to Republican energy plan
How to pass a peak oil resolution
The most straightforward way to get your municipality engaged on responding to our energy predicament is a resolution. The resolution calls for peak oil to be considered a serious issue, a city wide assessment funded by the mayor to be undertaken, and the oil depletion protocol to be endorsed.
Peak oil – May 18
Bartlett: a prophet without honor in Congress / Rep. Bartlett’s latest talk to Congress / Global oil output to peak in 2010 – Diapason / Saudi Aramco to boost oil reserves by 25% / Kunstler interview / Review of current speculative thinking on collapse
Oil – the Great Game
Jeff Vail: The Great Game / Klare: Less oil, more wars / Thomas Friedman lays out his “laws of petropolitics” / The deep breath before the plunge
Energize America – achieving U.S. energy security by 2020
A grassroots effort created and refined by informed citizen activists, and not by lobbyists or politicians. It takes an unvarnished and objective look at U.S. energy policy with the single goal of achieving U.S. energy security by 2020 and U.S. energy independence by 2040. (Executive Summary, Version V)
Peak oil – May 15
Energy strategist Groppe says world faces a permanent oil shortage / Kunstler: Progressivism at the peak / Unlikely guru has reporter’s eye, poet’s heart / Norway would if they could / Swedish Dept. of Energy issues 100-page report on Peak Oil
Reason and light
Scientist Sir John Houghton tells Caspar Henderson how he convinced the leaders of 30-40 million evangelical Christians in the US to get serious about climate change.
Portland establishes task force on peak oil
The city council of Portland, Oregon today passed a resolution to create a task force to investigate the implications of peak oil. The official attention came in response to activism by Portland Peak Oil, a local grassroots group.
