Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Energy derived from oil reaches, quite literally, every aspect of our lives. From the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, to how we move ourselves around, without oil, our lives would look very differently. Yet oil is a finite resource. While there is no argument that it won’t last forever, there is debate about how much oil is left and how long it might last.
A weekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Oil and the global economy
-Libya
-China
-Iran – India
Between April last year and March this year, the world was struck by three Black Swan events that ‘everyone’ knew would happen, yet, strangely, seemed unprepared for when they did. The Gulf of Mexico oil leak, the political upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and the earthquake-tsunami-nuclear tragedy in Japan are already inflicting history-altering impacts, not the least, because they have significantly and immediately reduced the world’s supply of cheap energy.
The anniversary of Jimmy Carter’s “Malaise” speech this month begs the question, Can a president talk to the public honestly about energy and survive? I say yes. The speech itself was brilliant. And the public loved it. If many other things hadn’t gone wrong, that speech could’ve saved Carter’s presidency and put America on the path to a sane energy policy while we still had time. Carter’s case offers a strong lesson for today.
In the several years or so since peak oil began generating significant literature and debate, it has attracted a diverse array of thinkers. To name a few, there are insiders like Colin Campbell and Ken Deffeyes who sounded the first warnings; a clinical psychologist in the field of “peak oil blues,” Kathy McMahon; an archdruid practiced in nature’s less readily perceptible energies, John Michael Greer; and a couple of highly engaging social critics, Jim Kunstler and Dmitry Orlov. Richard Heinberg’s distinction is that he’s hands-down the most prolific peak oil author, now having written half a dozen books on the subject and a few others touching on it tangentially. His latest, The End of Growth, is yet another grand performance.
Thirty days on from its decision to release reserve oil stocks, the IEA announced Thursday that it will take no further action for the moment. This, along with positive news from the latest European emergency summit, and signs from Washington that the US may avoid its looming self-inflicted default, saw oil prices strengthen to more than $118/barrel.
At last count there were at least a dozen mega dangers looming on the horizon all of which have the potential to change the nature of global civilization in profound ways. Yet the body politic seems to take little or no notice and concerns itself largely with issues that will soon be swept away by change. These dangers range from the depletion of our fossil fuel and mineral resources, to shrinking food and water supplies, to rising oceans, to political upheavals.
A midweekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Developments this week
-Japan’s nuclear industry
Checkout what went on at our latest web chat with Bill McKibben, David Hughes and Kate Sheppard.
A spanish translation of the Post Carbon Institute report ‘The Food and Farming Transition: Toward a Post-Carbon Food System’.El sistema alimentario norteamericano descansa sobre unas bases inestables de insumos de combustible fósil masivos. Ante la disminución de las reservas de combustible el sistema alimentario se debe reinventar. El nuevo utilizará menos energía, y la energía que use vendrá de fuentes renovables. Podemos empezar la transición al nuevo sistema inmediatamente mediante un proceso de cambio planificado, graduado y rápido. La alternativa no planificada –la reconstrucción desde la base tras el colapso- sería caótica y trágica.
The UK desperately needs a new energy strategy based on a realistic assessment of its assets, its needs and the options available to it. Unfortunately, its freedom for technical and financial manoevre is deeply restricted by its self-imposed Climate Change Act and its commitment to the EU’s 20-20-20 targets.
Richard Heinberg hosts a conversation with Rob Hopkins on New Thinking in Transition. The podcast begins with Rob giving an update on what is going on in the Transition movement and introducing the upcoming Transition handbook, and is followed by a Q and A.
