Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
From Bill O’Reilly to Bill Moyers there is consensus that a return to growth is the remedy for what they see as an economic recession. Their political divisions arise over how to rekindle demand and consumption, with the right favoring a market led recovery and the left typically advocating massive government stimulus spending.
A weekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Prices and Production
-Is the US Economy Recovering?
-Venezuela’s Auction
-Quote of the Week
-Briefs
-Haiti’s Energy Problems
-Living on the edge of disaster
-The west owes Haiti a bailout. And it would be a hand-back, not a handout
At the moment it seems like everyone wants a piece of Angola. The queue of prominent visitors is long with the USA’s Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at its head. Where it smells of oil one can also find China … The international oil companies are trying to maximize oil flows from Angola’s deep water fields where production is very expensive. This means that production from these fields will lie on a plateau for some years before the usual very rapid decline begins. If we look into the future this will mean that Angola will reach Peak Oil before 2030. According to Colin Campbell they will reach peak production in about 10 years.
Last night (Tuesday January 26th, 2010) I gave a talk at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco to a sold-out audience. The crowd was excellent and I was thrilled to have the chance to deliver our message at this venue.
This week saw the Chairman of one of the world’s major oil companies publicly acknowledge the approaching peak in oil production…
-Oil Is Too Important To Burn In Cars
-Beyond rhetoric
-three paths to a low-car city
-Saving Sub-Sahara Africa a Drip at a Time
-How Can Haiti Be Sustainable?
-Straw Homes That Would Have Foiled the Wolf
What will we do post growth, post cheap energy, post resource abundance and post climate change? The Post Carbon Institute (PCI) convened its first meeting of Fellows this weekend in Berkeley to address these concerns. Many there and elsewhere have argued that these transformational changes are already becoming evident.
-Shell forced into oil sands U-turn
-IEA to Meet CFTC, OPEC, Banks on Curbing Speculation
-Clueless about oil prices
-Team of Rivals
A midweek roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Prices and production
-Venezuela
-Davos – Global Energy Outlook
-Davos 2010: a new peak in oil production is needed, energy leaders argue
-Conflicting views over ‘peak oil’
The plans to build the politically and environmentally controversial Nord Stream pipeline have been in the air since 1997. With Finland and Sweden finally saying “yes” to the pipeline in their waters, the wheels of construction are now in full speed with the first line to be opened in the 2011. This will bring relief to Europe that is struggling with energy supply–yet not everyone is a winner.
