Oil

Commentary: Energy Differentiation

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Many people fail to properly differentiate between energy forms and related energy systems. One result is that they can be misled regarding solutions to such concerns as “the energy crisis,” “energy security,” or “dependence on foreign oil.” This not only leads to unrealistic thinking but poor public policy. Consider three major energy forms and their differentiation.

A reading list for Mr. Monti

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I’ve spent the last couple of weeks immersed in a pile of texts on what actuaries, physicists, and mathematicians have to say about the relationship between the economy and energy. [My homework is a talk I’m giving in Philly at the end of the month at a seminar about architecture and energy.] I haven’t finished the talk yet but I thought, as an exercise, that I’d share with you (and Mr Monti) the ten best writers of my reading list.

‘The Post Carbon Reader’ at one year old

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This hefty book from a small publisher (and with an even smaller marketing budget) has sold over 10,000 copies, and its chapters have been downloaded over 20,000 times. It’s in classrooms at over 25 different colleges across the United States. People often ask what the story is behind the book. So here it is.

Heinberg, Kunstler, Foss, Orlov & Chomsky on A Public Affair

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Richard Heinberg joins James Howard Kunstler, Nicole Foss, Dmitri Orlov and Noam Chomsky in a panel discussion. Reviewer: "These extraordinary clearseers analyse precisely the catastrophic crises which — amongst many other things — are bringing on the steady, relentless collapse of the US empire."

(Transcript and audio)

ODAC Newsletter – Jan 6

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The New Year failed to ring in the customary changes this time round. The great economic hangover moves into its fourth year with many predicting that things will take a turn for the worse during 2012. Geopolitically, the standoff between the West and Iran escalated over the holiday, hoisting oil prices over $113/barrel once again.

The peak oil crisis: closing out the year

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The year ended with little change in the assessment for the prospects for global oil supplies. Despite all the hype concerning new oil finds and technological breakthroughs in oil production, these developments still are not contributing enough new oil to offset the annual decline of 3 million b/d from existing fields and the annual increase of circa 1 million b/d of new demand. The bottom line among those following this issue is that global oil production likely will start to decline in the next one to five years as depletion gets ahead of very-costly-to-produce new sources of “oil.”

Oil Shock – The No Growth World

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In a peak oil world, no further growth is possible. If China grows, somewhere Western consumption must shrink. And “shrinking” isn’t pretty says Jeff Rubin. He’s the former CIBC markets Chief Economist, speaking at ASPO 2011 in D.C., along with oil market guru Charles Maxwell. “Economy Past Peak Oil” panel plus Radio Ecoshock interview with ASPO Italy founder Professor Ugo Bardi (author of “The Limits to Growth Revisited”) on peak oil versus climate change.