Oil

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.”

United States & Canada – July 20

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Mark Morford: Here’s oil in your eye
The Southwest desert’s real estate boom (land needed for solar)
Los Angeles is home to new rush of oil drilling

Former officials call for an Earth systems science agency

Carbon capture can break the old energy equation
Both candidates talk the talk on green issues but who can deliver?

Peak oil & prices – July 20

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Even oilmen believe our planet is burning up, says Full Monty writer behind terrifying TV drama
California must wake up to looming fuel crisis (new)
The coming black plague? Oil and agriculture (new)
Paul Krugman: Oil outlook
Green ink: Oil in free fall

A boondoggle to end all boondoggles?

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Al Gore’s recent speech on energy was not bad as such speeches go. It says all the right things about the problems we face – things quite a few of us already know – and it makes us feel good to hear them said well and to a large audience. Whether that audience is capable of absorbing the message is another matter.

Get ready for the last oil war

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Despite the clear evidence of rising depletion limits on Iranian oil production, Western media continues presenting Iran as having the third or fourth-largest oil reserves in the world. This implies oil export ‘underperformance’, repeating media claim’s of Iraqi oil reserves versus its pumping ‘performance’ in the run-up to invasion in 2003.

As tensions escalate between Iran and the West, Andrew McKillop presents a view on the prospects for conflict.

Peak oil is a done deal

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I now believe that the hypothesis of a near or medium-term peak in the world’s oil supply is confirmed beyond any reasonable doubt. A shift in emphasis that speaks to reducing our demand for oil and examining alternatives to oil is now required. I will be taking that road in the future, leaving specific concerns about the oil supply behind.