Climate change to bring civil unrest
Governments face protests and civil unrest as impact of climate change hits home. An analysis from a British thinktank outlines new challenges for maintaining national security.
Geopolitics & Military
Geopolitics – Jan 25
High oil prices prompt a scramble for Africa
An oil-powered Russia
Elites love to pig out on energy
Peak oil – Jan 24
Candid piece on PO from Bloomberg: “Prius designer says industry must lose oil addiction”
Energy: Centre of power is on the move
The universal mining nachine
Oil pimping: Kunstler interview
Environment, rich and poor – Jan 23
U.S. given poor marks on the environment
Environment damage of rich countries on poor
Elites vs. greens in the global South
Biofuels – Jan 21
Debate over biofuels continues
Jamaica: Debate heats up as food prices rise
Biofuels, at what cost?
Biofuels: an alternative to U.S. Air Force petroleum fuel dependency
Annals of the rising Lilliputians
The center of gravity of power is shifting relentlessly from the West. The most successful cars are made in Japan. The power of the purse is shifting to less profligate countries like Singapore, and petro-powers like Kuwait. Manufacturing has gone to China. Energy is in the hands of Saudi Arabia, Russia and others.
Pipeline diplomacy – Jan 20
Israel cuts off Gaza’s electricity
Pipeline cements Russia’s hold on Europe’s gas supply
Why Russia is winning the pipeline war: Putin
Nuclear – Jan 17
Britain reverses course on nuclear power
UK green advisers dismiss nuclear plans as ‘megafix’
TOD on nuclear Britain
Germany to remain anti-nuclear stronghold
Nuclear USA – terrifying
Middle East – Jan 16
Angry Iran warns Turkmenistan on gas
Iran Oil ministry ready to weather frost
Iraq: fuel crisis freezes life
Saudi Arabia scraps wheat growing to save water
The dislodging of another leg from Western primacy
The western oil companies that have swaggered their way through the halls of power since the beginning of the last century are losing out to Aramco, Gazprom, PetroChina, and so on. Now another underpinning of Western primacy in the world — global finance — is going the same way.
Middle East and Russia – Jan 10
Cleric calls for energy saving in Iran
Shell and Total square up over gasfield in Iraq’s Sunni heartland
Russia scaremongering cranked up again
Russia’s new Abbott and Costello defense
Looking backward – Jan 9
John Michael Greer (Archdruid Report) on Spengler, Toynbee and the decline of the American empire
Classicist: I stopped cheering for the Romans
A question of blame when societies fall
Noble or savage?
