Oil

Everything you need to know, in order

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Like my title? Never let it be said I’m not ambitious.

A student in my class asked me for a list of skills we need to get ready for peak oil, prioritized. I admit, it took me about a day after she asked to stop thinking “Holy Crap, how do I figure that all out!” But it is an interesting question. And while it isn’t all just about food preservation, I thought I’d take a shot at it. I will, of course, be relying on my fearless readership to point out gaps in my thinking.

Peak oil – July 24

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Want floor time? First, get past Bartlett
Have we reached peak oil? NASA scientist vs Hudson Institute
Heinberg: Calm before the storm
Paul Ehrlich talks population, peak oil
Visionaries or cranks? How can you tell?
Peak oil a myth, claims geoscientist

Preparing Australian aviation for a new world

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Geoff Dixon of QANTAS Airlines is the first CEO of a major Australian company to publicly discuss the taboo subject of peak oil. He writes: “The global aviation industry faces, not a shock or a blip – not even a crisis – but a permanent transformation. The drivers of this transformation will be globalisation, accelerated by permanently high fuel prices. And the result will be a new aviation world order.”

Supplies – July 22

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Pemex may drill outside Mexico for first time if reforms fail
Record Iranian output belies oil sector travails
Russia’s Gazprom agrees to develop Iranian oil, gas fields
You say crisis. I say opportunity (Jim Gray of Canadian Hunter Exploration)

The impact of peak oil on international development (UK report)

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Big changes will be required in the international development community if it is to cope with the emerging energy crisis. RESET and Practical Action with whom this report has been produced, spelt out how training in truly sustainable, non-fossil fuel dependent energy generation, construction and farming methods will be essential if communities are to become resilient to energy price rises. (Report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil – British House of Commons)

Searching the “Panacea Pantry” for a quick fix

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Last week a Colorado senator published an article that offered a nuanced take on the prospects for oil shale development. He concluded: “To the boosters who think they have found the answer to our energy crisis, I say: We welcome you to our quest to develop oil shale on a commercial scale. But first let’s put the horse back in front of the cart and all start pulling in the same direction. A reckless approach that heightens the risk of an oil shale bust would only set us back.”