As good as it gets

Deceptive statements now dominate the political discourse on America’s oil crisis in the 2008 presidential campaign. The confused debate about Republican supply-side measures versus Democratic demand-side measures entirely misses the central point: domestic oil production is about to experience a mini-peak in the years 2010-11 and then resume its inevitable decline.

Climate – July 2

George Monbiot: This economic panic is pushing the planet right back down the agenda
The world’s will to tackle climate change is irresistible
Pew poll: Gas prices pump up US support for drilling
U.S. Midwest floods show signs of global warming

Coal in China

China has encouraged rapid export-led economic growth as a way of putting off dealing with its internal political and social problems. Economic growth requires energy, and China’s energy comes overwhelmingly from coal. The nation’s short-term survival strategy thus centers on producing enormous quantities of coal today, and far more in the future. (Excerpts)