The China Syndrome Part Two: Naresh Giangrande visits Taiwan
We will see if a safe and prosperous Taiwan emerges or will it be melt down; The China Syndrome – (although if you are in China then perhaps it is the USA syndrome?)
Fossil Fuels
Peak oil notes – October 28
A midweek roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Developments this week
-Alaska
The peak oil crisis: the midterms
In a perfect world, such a drastic shift in our economic and societal prospects [as is represented by peak oil] would be at the top of the political agenda. Elections would be fought over the best way to transition our economy and civilization to surviving with reduced and much more expensive energy
Shale gas—Abundance or mirage? Why the Marcellus Shale will disappoint expectations
Shale gas plays in the United States are commercial failures and shareholders in public exploration and production (E&P) companies are the losers. This conclusion falls out of a detailed evaluation of shale-dominated company financial statements and individual well decline curve analyses.
Special report: The great shale gas rush (excerpts)
The prospect of abundant, cheap natural gas in the United States—especially gas that’s easily delivered by pipeline to the populous East Coast—profoundly shakes up that energy equation.
Highlights from seventh Advances in Energy Studies Conference in Barcelona
Last week, I participated (as an invited speaker) in the 7th Advances in Energy Studies Conference in Barcelona, Spain. Other invited speakers were Charlie Hall, Joe Tainter, Marcel Collel, and Seth Blumsack. Other Oil Drum staff members at the conference were Ugo Bardi and Dave Murphy–Ugo as one of the speakers, and Dave as the second author on Charlie Hall’s presentation. Dave also asked lots of good questions! In this post, I give a few highlights of the conference.
Once in a Lifetime: This is Not My Beautiful Lawn
A “perfect” lawn is a truly human artifact, a triumph of elegance and simplicity, using machines, chemicals and Poa pratensis in its making. We need an aesthetic sense that an ornamental landscape’s beauty isn’t only about visual effect, but about holistic function–about how the landscape contributes to the biotic community, to the ecosystem’s health.
Review of Ben Parfitt’s Fracture Lines (report)
A Canadian study of shale gas fracking and its impact on water quality was released earlier this month. Entitled Fracture Lines: Will Canada’s Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?, the study was conducted by Ben Parfitt…He argues that when the low net energy/EROEI from shale gas is coupled with environmental concerns such as carbon emissions and water problems, shale gas looks less and less like the sure-fire“bridge to a cleaner energy future” claimed by its proponents.
Your energy companies at work – Oct 26
– Tea Party climate change deniers funded by BP and other major polluters
– Texas oil companies pump new round of cash into California climate fight
– Caught! EU business lobby funding climate legislation blockers in US Senate
– Jurassic Ballot: When Corporations Ruled the Earth
Alaska and energy
I came away from my too-brief sojourn in Anchorage with both a deep appreciation for this land of great natural beauty, contrasts, and extremes, and an equally deep concern for how Alaskans will deal with their enormous energy challenges. Some of those challenges are going to present themselves forcibly in the very near future.
OPEC will never run out of oil
Through an accident of plate tectonics and other developments over geological time, most of the world’s remaining recoverable oil is situated around the Persian Gulf. This is unfortunate for us because we will thus never have a reasonable, universally agreed-upon estimate of the amount of oil left to produce. Let me explain.
Electrification and expansion of railroads as a response to peak oil
Before the stick of post-Peak Oil drives freight off the roads, how can we create a carrot that will entice freight and create a better, faster, cheaper and more reliable transportation system than the one we have today?
