Oil

Peak Moment 129: Meeting the Energy Challenge

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Richard Heinberg, author of Powerdown, makes plain the dire situation we’re in as declining oil supplies fail to meet demand. He notes there are no easy “supply side” solutions (like substitute fuels): we must reduce demand, initially through conservation and efficiency. Julian Darley, president of Post Carbon Institute observes that while personal action is very important, individuals can only do so much.

Obama energy watch – Jan 28

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Nate Hagens on BBC Regarding Obama Energy Policy
Geography Is Dividing Democrats Over Energy
Obama: U.S. done ‘dragging heels’ on climate
Obama’s Energy Policy Announcement
Directive from the Obama Administration on fuel efficiency is creating alarm among automakers
Obama Orders Fuel Efficiency

How much oil is left?

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There is considerable disagreement among energy resource experts as to how many years we have left of oil given current estimates of what remains in the ground. The reason for the disagreement stems from diverse assumptions about production productivity, demand and even how much remains undiscovered. In this video, viewers will see how applying a system dynamics approach (used by the Club of Rome in developing The Limits to Growth analysis) can make all such assumptions explicit in a way that allows for collaborative testing.

The Great Squeeze (review)

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This Great Squeeze: Surviving the Human Project is the latest film from Colorado-based Tiroir a Films. This sequel to their 2006 offering, Energy Crossroads: The Burning Need to Change Course, looks to dig deeper into how the concurrent processes of resource depletion, climate change, ecosystem destruction and our consumption-oriented economic model are threatening to destroy both our planet and possibly our very civilization. I would say in large part that it succeeds.

Boondoggles to the rescue!

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It is not necessary for the United States to embrace the tenets of command economy and central planning to match the Soviet lackluster performance in this area. We have our own methods that are working almost as well. I call them “boondoggles.” They are solutions to problems that result in more severe problems than those they attempt to solve.