Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
THE world faces a global oil supply shortage after 2007, which would threaten economic growth, according to new research by the Oil Depletion Analysis Centre (Odac) which says that not enough major new fields will come on stream to offset declines .
We have become much more efficient in our use of oil since the 1970s, claim the analysts, and therefore higher oil prices will only have a modest upward impact on inflation. Although the statement is true, the concept masks a lot of dirty little problems.
Undoubtedly, the most important question to try to resolve in modelling future world oil production is the true size of Middle East reserves. It is obvious that the official reports of remaining reserves are grossly unreliable.
Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s only OPEC member, may become a net oil importer this year as projects led by ConocoPhillips, Unocal Corp. and PetroChina Co. fail to stem falling output, helping to boost fuel prices to records.
Robert Ebel of CSIS, Washington, talks to Global Public Media’s Julian Darley about the difficulties that Russian oil and gas production now faces. He also comments on US energy policy and the new Oilfields Megaprojects Report.
Speculation over the actual size of Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves is reaching fever pitch as a major bank says the kingdom’s – and the world’s – biggest field, Gharwar, is in irreversible decline.
Social critic James Howard Kunstler has railed for years against the twin evils of bad urban design and suburban sprawl. Based in Saratoga Springs, the author of The Geography of Nowhere and Home from Nowhere warns that our beloved cars — and the subdivided landscape they drive us to — are leading American culture down a four-lane highway to destruction.
Realism is the philosophical notion that what our scientific theories tell us about the world are more or less, or approximately true.
ANWR is only the most noticeable tip of the iceberg here, as the White House and Congress are working together to open our entire remaining wilderness to resource production. We are witnessing the start of a mad scramble for crumbs as Peak Oil announces the end of abundance.
As the United States gears up for an attack on Iran, one thing is certain: the Bush administration will never mention oil as a reason for going to war.
Michael Klare discusses the recent and proposed changes to locations of US overseas bases in relation to changed geopolitical circumstances and the need to protect its sources of oil.
Saudi Arabia is promising petroleum buyers all the crude they want to build inventories ahead of an expected sharp increase in demand, according to a media report Thursday. The world’s largest oil exporter is offering to pump to capacity, The Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition, citing an unnamed senior OPEC official.
