Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
If the Earth were a car, its gas gauge would be approaching E. Some argue that we have miles to go before we hit the empty mark. Others say we’re running on fumes.
But nobody disputes that the world’s oil supply is finite and that some day the wells will run dry.
What we do between now and then will determine the quality of life for generations. Do nothing – or do something lethargically – and the consequences are catastrophic
Written by a former vice president of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in collaboration with the former head of the Goldman Sachs Oil and Gas department, The Deal is a wake-up call for America. Against the backdrop of a Middle East oil war against radical fundamentalists, The Deal tells the story of a proposed merger between an American and a Russian oil company, and the lengths and depths to which our country will find itself forced to descend in pursuit of the next “black crack fix” unless we dramatically change our ways.
Report on the ASPO conference in Lisbon, a national energy conference in Cleveland and an E.F. Schumacher Society training seminar.
A new Yale University research survey of 1,000 adults nationwide reveals that while Americans are deeply divided on many issues, they overwhelmingly believe that the United States is too dependent on imported oil.
The survey shows a vast majority of the public also wants to see government action to develop new “clean” energy sources, including solar and wind power as well as hydrogen cars.
If the peak oilers are right– and you may well be– there’s a straightforward way to use your understanding to turn yourself into a millionaire. This article explains how. (New blog by an economics professor from University of California at San Diego.)
World Energy (vol. 8 no. 1) carries a series of articles by the Chief Executives of the major oil companies… They speak of the magnitude of the challenge they face in meeting anticipated demand, rejecting any sense of fatalism. They try valiantly to convey a positive attitude as befits their position, but their tone lacks conviction.
There are many reasons to believe that contemporary civilization has reached the point of diminishing returns from complexity. Proposals that rely purely on technical fixes for our energy problems tend to increase complexity. Thus, new technologies may fail to deliver their promised results.
China is exploring ways to use some of its huge foreign exchange reserves to buy imported oil, the Shanghai Securities News reported, citing an unidentified source.
The newspaper said the plan, which was first proposed as early as 2000, would reach the twin objectives of making better use of the nation’s foreign exchange and ensuring vital oil supplies.
This article about M. King Hubbert reprinted from a 1970s fishing magazine (of all places) reminds us that after Hubbert there were many forecasts that greatly overestimated the US total recoverable oil resources, including the major institutions making similar global preditions today.
Kick-off article for the Plain Dealer’s coming series on “the end of cheap oil, the search for new energy sources and the implications of both.”
Online Powerpoint book on Peak Oil: the importance of oil, possible substitutes and coming difficulties.
About 200 news sites published this summary of Peak Oil this weekend. The list includes Forbes, Newsday (NY), NY Times, SF Chronicle, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, LA Times, ABC News, CBS News — all the biggies. This is a major development in getting the Peak Oil story out.
