Fossil Fuels

The oil industry’s deceitful promise of American energy independence

by

Faced with increasing political obstacles to oil and natural gas exploration in many countries around the world, the oil industry is focusing again on the United States. The industry is using the deceitful promise of energy independence to cajole Americans and their policymakers into relaxing environmental regulations and opening protected public lands and restricted offshore areas to drilling.

The conversation we need to have – Age of Limits conference May 25-28 in Pennsylvania

by

It’s time to talk instead about the things that actually matter in the age of limits that’s coming on the heels of the age of excess now ending — about what can be saved, what must be let go, and what options might enable individuals, families, and communities to make it through the troubled years ahead. That’s the conversation that needs to happen now, as the age of limits begins, and it’s the conversation a number of us hope to launch and to foster at the Age of Limits conference this Memorial Day weekend. (May 25-28, Artemas, Pennsylvania)

ODAC Newsletter – May 4

by

The shale gas ‘revolution’ suffered another blow this week as the US Securities and Exchange Commission announced an investigation into dealings between industry leader Chesapeake Energy and its chief executive Aubrey McClendon. It emerged recently that McClendon had been taking a private stake in each well the company drills and, unbeknownst to shareholders, borrowed over $1 billion against them…

Seven myths used to debunk peak oil, debunked

by

Peak oil is a fact, not a theory. From US conventional oil production peaking in 1970 to global conventional oil production peaking in 2006 the figures are indisputable. Even institutions such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) and publications like The Economist that are not known for alarmism have admitted that oil production from conventional sources has peaked.

So why are there still commentators who refuse to believe peak oil?

My Neighbors Use Too Much Energy

by

I have described in a series of posts the efforts my wife and I have made to reduce our energy footprint on a number of fronts. The motivation stems from our perception that the path we are on is not sustainable. Our response has been to pluck the low-hanging fruit, demonstrating to ourselves that we can live a “normal” life using far less energy than we once did. We are by no means gold medalists in this effort, but our savings have nonetheless been substantial. Now we shift the burden off of ourselves, and onto our neighbors. You don’t have to run faster than the bear—just faster than the other guy. In this post, I summarize our savings relative to the national average, add a few more tidbits not previously covered, put the savings in context, and muse about ways to extend the reach of such efforts.

China’s looming conflict between energy and water

by

In its quest to find new sources of energy, China is increasingly looking to its western provinces. But the nation’s push to develop fossil fuel and alternative sources has so far ignored a basic fact — western China simply lacks the water resources needed to support major new energy development.