As biofuels boom, will more go hungry?

Using plants to feed our fuel needs may be a great idea, and the biofuel goldrush could be a moneyspinner for several poor countries, but some experts warn people may go hungry as food prices rise.Some experts foresee a permanent change in food economics if farmers scent higher profit in fuel crops than in growing […]

Biofuels: An advisable strategy?

Biofuels have been an increasingly hot topic on the discussion table in the last few years. In 2003 the European Union introduced a Directive suggesting that Member states should increase the share of biofuels in the energy used for transport to 2% by 2005 and 5.75% by 2010. In 2005 the target was not reached […]

NASA Detects Trends in Rainfall Traits from Drizzles to Downpours

Breaking news in recent years has been swamped with stories of extreme weather — flash floods in East Asia, prolonged drought in Africa, destructive hurricanes like Hurricane Katrina, heavy monsoon rainfall in South Asia, and an historic heat wave in Europe. The effects of these weather crises have been devastating, and their frequency seemingly on […]

Ghawar Is Dead!

The Wide-Spread Use of Advanced Extraction Techniques are Killing the Mother of All Oil Fields IHers was the quintessentially American tale of the technological metamorphosis of East Texas trailer trash into the bearer of the trophy titties for an oil tycoon. Her bare breasts in the pages of Playboy reaffirmed the greatness of our country! […]

Possible Rash Actions by New Congress Concern an Oil Industry Economist

Q: Everyone talks about “peak oil,” the idea that the oil that is available to drill will start declining. Is that a problem? A: The problem is we actually know extremely little about how much oil is in the ground. And that is why we’ve had “peak oil” people since the 1880s saying we’re going […]

Tundra Disappearing At Rapid Rate

Forests of spruce trees and shrubs in parts of northern Canada are taking over what were once tundra landscapes–forcing out the species that lived there. This shift can happen at a much faster speed than scientists originally thought, according to a new University of Alberta study that adds to the growing body of evidence on […]

A switch to biofuels will not save the planet

The problem is that many Americans, and Europeans for that matter, seem to think it is just a matter of flicking a switch: one moment fossil fuel, the next moment, sugar cane-plus-corn. Lifestyle – unaltered. Sadly, that’s not enough. Ethanol may sound like the kind of “friendly” energy the world has been waiting for. But […]

Portland Peak Oil Task Force: Final Report

Over the past six months, the Peak Oil Task Force held more than 40 meetings and involved dozens of policymakers, experts, stakeholders and interested citizens in gathering information and preparing a draft report for public comment. The final version of the report is now ready, and will be presented to City Council on March 7, […]

A closer look at sustainability criteria for biofuels

Sadly, this somewhat simplistic dichotomy (‘environment versus profit’) has permeated the mainstream media. One type of media tends to focus on the mere commercial aspects of biofuels (announcing investment after investment), whereas another type dismisses all biofuels as an outright disaster without seeing the potential benefits for people, planet and profit. A more nuanced, scientifically […]

Exxon plans 25 new projects in next three years

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE:XOM – news) plans to start 25 new global projects in the next three years, adding about 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day to its base volumes when they reach their peak, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company said on Wednesday. The company said its […]

Castro’s revenge: The Cuban oil rush

Seventy miles from Florida, a Cuban oil rush is underway – and U.S. companies can’t join in Sometime later this year, less than 70 miles from Florida, a consortium of Spanish, Indian and Norwegian companies will likely start drilling for oil. It could mark the beginning of a Cuban oil rush – one that American […]

China abandons annual energy saving targets

BEIJING (Reuters) – China has abandoned annual energy saving targets because not all its efforts to boost efficiency will bear fruit immediately, but it is still sticking to a five-year goal, a top official said on Wednesday. Ma Kai, head of the energy policy setting National Development and Reform Commission, said growing pressure on resources […]

The Quiet Energy Crisis

Do you think gasoline prices are too high? Do you think illegal immigration is a problem? Well, get ready for more of both, because Mexico, the #3 supplier of imported fuel to the U.S., is spiraling into a quiet energy crisis that could interrupt our oil supplies, send shockwaves through our economy, and force a […]

No War for Oil, No Oil for War

Combine the strengths of the environmental and anti-war movements to defeat U.S. Middle East policy, end the Iraq War, and join the global community in the common struggle for a sustainable future. On the march against the war in Washington, D.C. on January 27th, thousands of marchers wore buttons proclaiming, “No Blood for Oil,” and […]

U.K.: Miliband outlines ‘post-oil’ future

The environment secretary David Miliband will today outline the case for a post-oil economy, arguing that the UK needs to move away from “oil dependence”. Addressing a public audience at the University of Cambridge this evening, Mr Miliband will argue the need for a low carbon economy involving radical cuts in emissions. This would involve […]

As warnings grow more dire, Nobelist emerges as leader

Steve Chu keeps up with all the latest news on climate change, and he knows it’s bad. The Nobel-winning physicist can tell you the projected meltdown rates for the snowpacks of Tibet and the Sierra Nevada. Rivers drying up and millions of people on the move looking for a drink of water? That future, a […]

Announcing the CERA News Center Archive

Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) http://cera.ecnext.com is introducing an information and news archive where readers can find current energy-related articles and media postings. Compiled articles cover topics such as energy security measures, oil-related economics and utility research. One archive citation by Industrial Manufacturing reveals that recent CERA research analysis suggests that the remaining global oil […]

A Function of Price and Technology

By Byron King On March 5, 2007, The New York Timespublished an article entitled “Oil Innovations Pump New Life Into Old Wells,” by Times correspondent Jad Mouawad.As is the case with much of what gets published in The New York Times, some of the information in the article is true. But then again, to the […]

Palm oil looks for new high on India, U.S. demand

Palm oil prices are holding on to last year’s strong gains, despite a global flight from risky assets, and when industry analysts gather in Malaysia next week they are likely to say that the rally is far from over. Industry officials said global edible oil production is likely to increase by 1.2 to 1.3 million […]

Uncertainties plague global gas industry

Growing nationalism in major gas producing countries, lack of progress on key pipeline projects in Asia and uncertainties surrounding gas-handling and internal transmission issues in China and India overall paint a disturbing picture for the global natural gas industry. Increasing intervention of the Russian government in gas production and export is a cause of concern […]

Chavez wants to pass Saudis

A man of grandiose plans, President Hugo Chavez talks of building a pipeline across South America and forming an OPEC for natural gas producers. Now Chavez wants to prove that Venezuela — not Saudi Arabia — holds the largest oil reserves in the world.Experts have long speculated that heavy oil and bitumen deposits in Venezuela’s […]

Success derails biofuels bandwagon

A global, government policy-fuelled rush to produce biofuels is backfiring as it pushes up costs and makes the environmentally-friendly alternative fuel far less competitive.In the near term a looming biofuels glut plus falling rival crude oil prices, down a fifth on last summer’s highs, mean producers can less easily pass on their spiralling costs. .Falling […]

Industries Urge EU to Reconsider Renewables Policy

European margarine, paper, wood, furniture and some chemical industries urged the European Union on Tuesday not to adopt a plan to introduce binding targets for renewable energy and biofuels. The industries are concerned about the potential impact “of current shortages and price increases of their raw material, as a result of the European Commission’s narrow […]

Calls for OPEC-style gas cartel become louder

Gas exporting countries meeting in Doha in April will discuss forming an OPEC-like group Iran’s oil minister Kazem Vazeri-Hamaneh says. This follows calls by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni for Russia and other natural gas producers to establish a gas cartel.Iranian energy officials believe that even without the participation of Russia a grouping of Algeria, […]

The Disastrous Local and Global Impacts of Tropical Biofuel Production

The results of all this forest clearing can be seen by looking at Indonesia’s carbon dioxide emissions. Indonesia is now the third-leading producer of carbon emissions after the U.S. and China, according to a recent study done by two Dutch entities, Wetlands International, a non-profit agency, and Delft Hydraulics, a consulting firm. The study also […]

Canada will stay top U.S. oil supplier for 20 years

Canada – which in 2005 replaced Saudi Arabia as the single-largest supplier of energy to the U.S. – will continue that position over at least the next two decades, thanks to the multi-billion dollar oilsands developments in Alberta. “The projects in Fort McMurray and Athabasca will ensure that Canada remains in the top spot until […]

Skills shortage threatens to stall oil and gas boom

A significant skills shortage in the oil and gas industry is threatening to stall the oil and gas boom that is occurring. The industry has stretched its resources to breaking point, say consultants at Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH). “From the industrial platforms of oil rigs to air-conditioned design offices, the oil and gas industry is […]

Report: Oil sands costs up 55 percent

Capital costs per peak flowing barrel of Canada’s oil sands are up 55 percent, squeezing returns on investments, a report released Tuesday said. Edinburgh-Scotland-based Wood Mackenzie, in its report, “The Cost of Playing in the Oil Sands,” says despite high land prices, the cost of acquiring acreage is small compared to the investment required for […]

World Oil Outlook: Markets Tighten, Consumption To Increase

Even though new capacity increases are expected over the forecast period in OPEC-10 countries (particularly in the Persian Gulf), continued strong demand growth will limit OPEC cattlenetwork

U.S. Iran Policy: It

Bearing in mind the recent developments in the Middle East, I suspect that a geo-political disaster is around the corner. I hope I am wrong but it increasingly looks as though either Israel or the United States will attack Iran over its dailyreckoning

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