Iran, Canada and the Petro State
Whenever North Americans fill up their vehicles with gasoline these days they should reflect on their ongoing contribution to the dysfunctional status of petro states and the Islamic Republic of Iran in particular.
Oil
Tactics and strategy at the Strait of Hormuz
About a month ago, when Iranian officials started venting the idea of closing the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, Western media was prompt in reviewing the events of 1981. At that time, Iranian forces mined the Strait and engaged commercial vessels with rubber speedboats in what was largely seen as a pathetic attempt to control the area. The media seems to think that Iranian officials are talking about using similar tactics today. In reality, the military technology deployed by Iran in the region is completely different today, creating a strategic scenario totally different from that of 30 years ago.
Cinema imagines the worst: A psychological journey
It’s one thing to create a literal portrayal of civilization-destroying natural disasters on film. It’s quite another to depict a character’s inner psychological journey as the world moves closer and closer to cataclysm. Two recent films do just that and do it remarkably well.
Peak oil, peak gold – March 3
– Science: Is the World Tottering on the Precipice of Peak Gold?
– Heinberg: End of growth not end of the line
– Rapier: Bill O’Reilly is Misinforming Americans About Oil Supplies
– Those who argue that there will never be a final “oil crisis” fail to recognize resource limits
Whose resources? March 3
– Global mining boom is leading to landgrab, says report
– Do Environmentalists Have an Interest in Who Controls Oil Resources?
– Deforestataion, agroecology and Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement
ODAC Newsletter – March 2
Brent oil briefly touched $128/barrel on Thursday as pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme continued, the latest development being demands from Israel on the US to be more explicit in its threat of military action. The sharply rising prices are already impacting the weakened economies of Europe and the US making some wonder whether sanctions intended to hurt Iran could be backfiring…
Energy – March 2
– Q&A: What’s Going on With Gasoline Prices?
– Chris Nelder: A model of oil prices
– Facing the Facts on Fossil Fuel (series from the former president of Academy of Science and the Royal Society of Canada
– A Dynamic Function for EROI
Peak oil notes – March 1
A midweekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Developments this week
Future of food in Japan
One concern is how import-dependent Japan might cope with the advent of the peak of oil production and a possible oil price crunch. Paul Stevens at Chatham House, one of the world’s leading think tanks, argued in 2008 that an oil crunch could occur when the oil price goes over US$200 per barrel with severe macro-economic impacts….While other reports place the peak of world oil production at a later date between 2015 and 2020, the timing is academic when considered in the context of whether Japan would have the time to respond effectively in terms of reorganizing its entire food system.
Great Decisions: Energy Geopolitics
The energy markets have been shaken by the instability of Middle East oil and the vulnerability of nuclear power. Against the backdrop of European crisis and and high U.S. unemployment, what does this changing energy landscape mean for national and global economies in 2012? Daniel Lerch presents as part of the Great Decisions Series of the World Affairs Council of Oregon, January 2012.
The Attack on Science & Scientists
Dr. John Mashey investigates the right-wing billionaires & corporations who pay alleged “charities”, bloggers, and old weathermen to deny climate science. Then Canadian journalist Margaret Munro on government muzzling scientists, plus an update from Union of Concerned Scientists Francesca Grifo on science freedom in U.S.
A pile of straw at the bottom of the cliff
There is an old Russian saying: “If I had known where I would fall, I would have put down some straw there.”
At last year’s ASPO-USA conference, I wanted to correct what I see as a major flaw in the narrative of Peak Oil: the idea of a gentle, geologically-driven decline in oil production, which seems quite unrealistic. But I also wanted to look beyond it and sketch out some plans that would work after oil production dives off a cliff.
If we start setting aside a “Peak Oil Tithe” around when Peak Oil occurs, and if we deploy all that we’ve stockpiled when the fossil fuel economy can no longer support us, the resulting post-collapse economy is quite a lot smaller than the fossil fuel economy, but still large enough to support a significant portion of the current population, albeit at a much lower standard of living.
