Fossil Fuels

The path from petroleum shortages to electricity shortages

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There is likely to be a very short path from petroleum shortages to electricity shortages. Many issues are involved, from the fact that the fuels used in electricity production are themselves dependent on petroleum for their extraction and transportation, to the current state of the US electricity infrastructure, to the impact of peak oil on debt financing.

The peak oil crisis: The Washington Post meets peak oil lite

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The Post is to be congratulated for a tour d’horizone that touches most of the bases relevant to peak oil. They acknowledge the problem, use the words “peak oil,” discuss much of the evidence and cite the differences of opinion as to the imminence of a crippling problem. Reading between the lines, one can sense an editorial debate, for the obvious conclusion is one no reader wants to hear.

Georgia conflict – Aug 13

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Shattered Georgia pays high price for peace
A roadblock to Russian oil and gas
Kjell Aleklett: Oil and the war in Georgia
Clash of identities triggered Caucasus crisis
BP shuts Georgia oil, gas pipelines as a precaution
Georgia conflict ‘a threat to strategic energy supplies’
It is largely about oil pipelines
Oil in troubled mountains

Thinking About Heating and Cooling Differently

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Today’s posts will focus on heating and cooling and how to deal with these issues…I’m going to talk about strategies for both of these things – first of all, how not to die from heat or cold – how to live without any heating or cooling, even in very cold or hot places, and then also how to cool and heat your house using fewer fossil fuels, but before we go there, I want to talk about how we *think* about heating and cooling overall. Because that has at least as deep an effect on how we approach this as the actual method we use.