Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Once a year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) releases its World Energy Outlook (WEO), and it’s our tradition here at ChrisMartenson.com to review it. A lot of articles have already been written on the WEO 2010 report, and I don’t wish to tread an already well-worn path, but the subject is just too important to leave relegate to a single week of attention.
The Very Important Paper recently ran an article that might have been tailor made for one of my old classes – it was a perfect illustration of how not to write a persuasive or expository essay. Written by Clifford Krauss and appearing in the New York Times November 17 Energy Supplement, it provides a superb model for the young (or old) writer on what not to do, and in a sense I’m grateful for this illustration. I apologize to my readership then, for digressing into my past profession, and offering a brief lesson on how not to write about peak oil for the interested.
This year I’m giving thanks for petroleum. Yes, it causes pollution. It’s a big inequity factor between cultures. And leads to wars. But oil has helped Americans live like kings and it’s helped save lives. Now it’s running low. As we plan for a world beyond oil, we should be thankful for what it’s done for us, and think about how to conserve it for our most important needs going forward.
In light of even more facts about the reality of declining oil production and availability, more nonsense denying the reality of our predicament has surfaced, in the New York Times, of all places. It may, however, turn out to be a great blessing for peak oil advocates.
In the peak oil community, predictions that society is about to collapse are coming faster and louder than usual. Should we heed these warnings? Or be skeptical?
We own cars so we can go to work. Why do we have jobs? So we can pay for the cars! It sounds simple enough to figure out, but billions of people are participating in this destruction of themselves and the planet.
Last week we asked for your help with the YouTube/See3 DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards. Thousands of organizations participated and four were awarded the top prize. THANKS TO YOU and your support, Post Carbon Institute secured the Best Video in the Small Nonprofit category. For this we are grateful and proud.
A weekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Oil and the global economy
-Peak coal in China?
-China
-Nigeria
-Another warning in the UK
-Briefs
-Quote of the week: “With price increases largely reflecting scarcity in export supply, global competition for securing foodstuffs is set to intensify.” –UN Food and Agriculture Organization
– BBC: Oil shock warning to government from UK business
– Protect us from peak oil, says Richard Branson (and others)
– Big names warn of danger of UK’s ‘addiction’ to oil
– Steve LeVine: Peak or no peak?
– Ken Deffeyes: IEA on Board, Sort Of
– IHS CERA study says oilpatch costs rising
– The Tea Party Targets… Sustainable Development?
– Here’s where we should cut: corn ethanol subsidies
– Walmart local food?
– U.S. Oil Imports Shrink, Yet Worries Loom
– Dmitry Orlov on Collapse
– UC Santa Barbara research group issues report: “Peak Energy, Climate Change, and the Collapse of Global Civilization: The Current Peak Oil Crisis”
– The Economy Is Not Coming Back
Rarely is the public treated to such inaccurate, misleading and unhelpful “journalism” as in “There will be fuel” by New York Times correspondent, Clifford Krauss (New York Times, November 17, 2010) , even in this era of political spin and smoke and mirrors surrounding energy. The facts of the matter are that no nation on earth is more dependent on imported oil than the U.S
