Hydrogen from E. Coli bacteria could power Fuel Cells

Thomas Wood, a professor in Texas A&M University’s Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, has ‘tweaked’ a strain of E. coli so that it produces substantial amounts of hydrogen COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Jan. 29, 2008 By genetically modifying the bacteria, Thomas Wood, a professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, has

Poor Haitians Resort to Eating Dirt

…Food prices around the world have spiked because of higher oil prices, needed for fertilizer, irrigation and transportation. Prices for basic ingredients such as corn and wheat are also up sharply, and the increasing global demand for biofuels is pressuring food markets as well. The problem is particularly dire in the Caribbean, where island nations […]

Population plummets from high five years ago; far fewer juveniles, too SAN FRANCISCO – The number of chinook salmon returning to California’s Central Valley has reached a near-record low, pointing to an “unprecedented collapse” that could lead to severe restrictions on West Coast salmon fishing this year, according to federal fishery regulators. The sharp drop […]

China’s crops badly damaged by icy storms: AgMin

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Agriculture Ministry said on Wednesday that the unusually harsh winter had dealt a serious blow to the country’s wheat and vegetable crops and warned that damage could rise because of persistent cold. The ministry said in a statement on its Web site that 103 million mu of farm crops had been […]

Kirschenmann says agriculture must change to survive

NORTHWOOD, Iowa –Agriculture must change if it is to sustain itself, Fred Kirschenmann told farmers at the recent Worth County Extension Corn and Soybean Clinic in Northwood. Kirschenmann, a distinguished fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, defines sustainability as how to keep going indefinitely, but remaining sustainable even 10 […]

Days of cheap energy are over, lawmaker says

DES MOINES — Iowa should implement efficiency standards for utility companies as part of the state’s drive to create green jobs and reduce energy consumption, a group of lawmakers announced Tuesday. “Iowans are used to the concept that energy will be cheap, and those days are now over,” said Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids. “Energy […]

Population growth is a threat. But it pales against the greed of the rich

It’s easy to blame the poor for growing pressure on the world’s resources. But still the wealthy west takes the lion’s share I cannot avoid the subject any longer. Almost every day I receive a clutch of emails about it, asking the same question. A frightening new report has just pushed it up the political […]

Mexico sees big oil field’s output sliding further

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Crude oil reserves in Mexico’s huge but waning Cantarell oil field will continue to decline this year at around the same pace as in 2007, Pemex Director General Jesus Reyes Heroles said on Tuesday. Reyes Heroles told Reuters average daily production at Cantarell, in the Gulf of Mexico, would drop by […]

Tokyo Electric Expects Record Loss on Oil, Gas Costs

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) — Tokyo Electric Power Co., forced to shut the world’s biggest nuclear plant after an earthquake, predicted a record loss for the year ending March because of higher costs for oil and natural gas. Asia’s biggest utility expects a net loss of 155 billion yen ($1.5 billion) in the year ending March […]

Oil scarcity has ’snuck up on us’, expert says

The idea that the world’s supplies of oil have either peaked or will soon start declining has suddenly gained new respectability. The concept of ‘peak oil’ has been derided by the big oil companies for years, but at the end of last week came a turnabout. The chief executive of the oil giant Royal Dutch […]

High Oil Prices Boost Energy Efficiency – Report

High oil prices have spurred countries to use energy more efficiently, a report by an energy industry group said, but the authors say concerted government action is still needed to encourage less waste. The World Energy Council, whose members include energy companies and government bodies in 90 countries, said a study it commissioned showed the […]

China weather chaos a sign of things to come: experts

Don’t tell the thousands of Chinese stuck at railway stations or airports, but the chaos caused by a vicious cold spell afflicting much of China could be just a taste of things to come, experts say. The inclement weather and ensuing problems merely highlight the country’s increasing vulnerability to the extreme weather swings characteristic of […]

Why Is this Apocalypse Different than All Other Apocalypses?

A lot of what I write works from the assumption that we all agree that peak oil and climate change are happening and going to be life-changing events. And yet, some people who read this blog don’t necessarily agree on this subject, or they don’t see the effects has being as profound as I do, […]

Ethanol Not Green or Clean, Some Charge

Clean-burning ethanol may have a smoggy secret. If power companies are to be believed, the only one way to keep up with the fast-growing ethanol industry is to invest in good old fashioned coal-fired electricity. It’s a line of logic that some say turns ethanol’s clean burning appeal on its head.“It’s just damning of the […]

Inflation gloom in China snow chaos

Concern for China’s short-term inflation targets grew and the price of boxed lunches surged fivefold in the aftermath of heavy snowstorms – described as possibly the most severe in 50 years – that wrecked havoc across central and southern China. Shares in some energy-related stocks meanwhile jumped as much as 23% as investors saw profits […]

Nuclear, solar, geothermal power pushed at Manila energy summit

The Philippine government should seriously consider other sources of energy such as nuclear, solar and geothermal rather than rely on oil, an energy summit in Manila was told Wednesday. “We must have a common and sustainable program of energy development from a variety of available and indigenous sources…at a cost which will make us more […]

Iraq’s oil offensive

The Iraqi government cut off oil exports to South Korean energy firm SK Energy on January 1, and will deny the company oil for all of 2008 unless it backs out of its deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) by January 31, Reuters reported today (January 28), citing Iraqi Oil Ministry sources.All too familiar […]

Saying Goodbye To The Oil Age

The first practical oil drill was developed in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859, by Edwin L. Drake. Now, only a short while later, the planet Earth is running out of oil, without which almost nothing in modern civilization can function. A number of scientists and engineers have pointed out that the world’s oil production will peak […]

Cold weather suspends production at Syncrude operation in northern Alberta

Production at the Syncrude oilsands operation in northern Alberta has been suspended due to instrument freeze-ups during extreme cold weather. The facility is located near Fort McMurray, where temperatures have dipped to the -40 C range. Canadian Oil Sands Trust, which is the largest partner in the Syncrude consortium, says operation of a number of […]

Taipower seeking spot coal on concern China will halt exports

Taiwan Power Co., the island’s biggest electricity producer, plans to buy coal in the spot market because of concern China will stop exports, a company official said. The utility issued a tender last week for about 1 million metric tons of coal and may buy more in the spot market, Chief Engineer Tu Yueh-yuan said […]

More help urged for

Almost lost in the public debate over coal-fired power versus renewable energy is how to get both kinds of power from the plants where it The state Energy Department, with the help of utilities, has drawn up a latticework of proposed transmission corridors

Mexico Lawmakers Threaten Walkout Over Energy Reform

(Bloomberg) — A Mexican opposition party threatened to boycott congressional sessions in a bid to hinder an energy reform package backed by President Felipe Calderon. Congressman Alejandro Camacho of the Party of the Democratic Revolution told reporters today that lawmakers from his party may walk out or resign over a plan to “sell Mexico” by […]

Bangladesh: Priority to the fertilizer plants, instead of the power plants

The Energy and Mineral Resources Division on Sunday asked Petrobangla to give priority to the fertilizer plants, instead of the power plants, in supplying gas in the ongoing Boro season. An inter-ministry meeting, chaired by special assistant to the chief adviser M Tamim, decided that the Shikalbaha power plant would suspend generation, if needed, so […]

As Supplies Dry Up, Growers Pass on Farming and Sell Water

In a state where water has become an increasingly scarce commodity, a growing number of farmers are betting they can make more money selling their water supplies to thirsty cities and farms to the south than by growing crops. The shortages this season among the most intense of the last decade are already shooting water […]

Triple digit oil price regardless of peak

The real value of oil is “way, way, way above $80″ according to a leading analyst. Paul Horsnell, head of commodities research for Barclays Capital, says it is hard to see the price falling below $80, even allowing for a lot of pessimism about the economy, and that the long run price is likely to […]

Lester Brown: Why Ethanol Production Will Drive World Food Prices Even Higher

We are witnessing the beginning of one of the great tragedies of history. The United States, in a misguided effort to reduce its oil insecurity by converting grain into fuel for cars, is generating global food insecurity on a scale never seen before. The world is facing the most severe food price inflation in history […]

Fuel fees pump up airfares

Surcharges are almost half the price of some international tickets. Flying to Tokyo this spring? United Airlines last week offered a round-trip flight for as little as $400 — plus $300 in fuel charges. With oil prices high, fuel surcharges on many international flights have climbed in recent months to nearly half the price of […]

Travellers describe China chaos

It is estimated that 500,000 people are stranded in the southern city of Guangzhou as they wait for train services to resume. Paul Surtees was among the crowds on Monday. The railway stations in Guangzhou are a scene of horror, with countless thousands of desperate and freezing people besieging them. As you approach Guangzhou’s main […]

Refiners cut oil use, show world has enough for now

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil around $90 a barrel for three straight months has led refiners around the globe to process less of it, offering further proof the world’s immediate needs for crude are amply covered. A Reuters estimate shows at least 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) is off line as refiners close units that […]

Energy security: A new buzzword for Europe

Europe, visually safe, prosperous, and with its own say on major international issues, may lose this profile soon. The single most important trigger for this risk may be energy security. Without ensuring its energy security, Europe will not have enough tools to be a serious global player, because energy matters are very much intermingled with […]

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