Oceans on the Precipice: Scientist Warns of Mass Extinctions and ‘Rise of Slime’

Human activities are cumulatively driving the health of the world’s oceans down a rapid spiral, and only prompt and wholesale changes will slow or perhaps ultimately reverse the catastrophic problems they are facing. Such is the prognosis of Jeremy Jackson, a professor of oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, in a […]

U.S. Renewable Energy Growth Accelerates

Renewable energy markets surged in the United States in the first half of this year despite uncertainty over federal tax credits and a sluggish national economy, according to mid-year figures. Wind, solar, and geothermal energy are all on the rise. At least 17,000 megawatts (MW) of these three energy sources are now under construction. According […]

Oil-addicted world faces crude awakening

swissinfo: How many times a day do you say “I told you so”? Ray McCormack: We don’t say that, but when people said we were scaremongering and just helping the oil companies make more profits, we would say “well we hope we’re wrong, but it doesn’t look like we are”. But it’s not us: it’s […]

Past and Present: ‘Malaise’ and the Energy Crisis

Jimmy Carter’s speech is remembered for something he never said – we should recall what he did say …As with so many other things from the Carter years, the speech has been misremembered, mocked on The Simpsons, or glossed in college textbooks. But with energy prices again reaching record highs, the speech is worth recalling […]

Russia: ‘Forget’ Georgian territorial integrity

GORI, Georgia – Russia’s foreign minister declared Thursday that the world “can forget about” Georgia’s territorial integrity, and officials said Russia targeted military infrastructure and equipment – including radars and patrol boats at a Black Sea naval base and oil hub. Two American military planes delivered cargos of aid – including food and medicine – […]

Pickens says oil won’t go below $100

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens said on Thursday crude prices may soon fall as low as $110 a barrel amid falling gasoline demand, but should not sink below $100 because the United States depends heavily on oil imports. “I don’t think it’ll drop below $100,” Pickens told Reuters in a […]

Geopolitical Disruptions #1: Theory of Disruptions to Oil & Resource Supply

The peak and gradual decline in world oil production is beginning to spawn a set of geopolitical positive-feedback-loops that seem likely to exacerbate depletion and accelerate the effective rate of decline of world oil production. Rather than isolated incidents, these geopolitical feedback loops are the direct result of geological peaking in oil production. Unlike geologically […]

Hurdles remain for GM’s pioneering electric car

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan (AP) — Early versions of the Chevrolet Volt’s battery packs are powerful enough to run the high-stakes rechargeable car, but dozens of issues remain before General Motors Corp. can start selling the revolutionary vehicle in 2010 as planned. The Volt’s chief engineer is on a tight schedule to figure out how the […]

Offshore oil drilling in the US: what’s at stake?

Last week, Senator Barack Obama said he was open to considering a “careful, well thought-out [offshore] drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage”. The move was seen as a U-turn from the presidential candidate who had previously been opposed to George W. Bush and John McCain’s support for offshore drilling. All […]

Automakers fret over resale values of trucks, SUVs

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. Such situations are popping up all over the country, and automakers worry that declining residual values

Energy’s silver lining

High oil prices are painful. But they’re forcing positive changes in our economy and lifestyle. The price of oil has cut into household budgets and curtailed summer vacation plans. With families forced to choose between a shopping trip or the commute that brings in a salary, consumer spending has declined. There’s more than enough pain […]

Energy woes stir passions in Monied

Lower Makefield Township, Pa. And Lower Makefield is not known as a political hotbed. But Bucks County , which includes this township, has been a key political battleground in recent presidential elections, and it figures to be a hot spot this year, too. Much of the county has long put an emphasis on green values, […]

Insight: Oil prices have peaked

Thanks in no small degree to a drop in global demand, oil prices, after breaching $147 per barrel, have tumbled more than 23 per cent to below $113. Barring a big hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico or a disruptive geopolitical event, oil prices appear to have peaked. World oil consumption is now growing at […]

Ethanol industry improves product and PR efforts

NEW YORK (Associated Press) – Ethanol producers on Wednesday railed against what they described as a smear campaign by opponents who have branded the industry responsible for rising food prices. “Today, we face strong opposition, and their weapon primarily is the press,” Bob Scott, president of the American Coalition for Ethanol, told hundreds of producers […]

China raises tax on big cars to curb pollution

BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Wednesday it would raise taxes on large passenger vehicles and cut the tax on small cars from next month to cut pollution and fuel use. But the policy may only have a limited impact on boosting fuel efficiency in the world’s second-largest oil user, as majority of the cars […]

At Long Last, Twin Breakthroughs On Energy

Two big facts emerged recently in the national debate over energy, one pleasing to the Increase Supply people and the other equally satisfying to the Decrease Demand folks. The two facts are these: Americans favor drilling for more domestic oil supply, and lowering demand really does bring prices down notably and quickly. These two realities, […]

Mongabay: Carbon tax will ease transition to sensible climate policy

The management of carbon dioxide and the climate represent both an economic development challenge and the ecological problem of the next hundred years. Energy use, economic success and carbon dioxide emissions are, currently, intertwined. A carbon market that represents the true cost of energy and the disposal of our waste products in the environment is […]

Automotive 2020 Global Study

New Breed of Consumers Seek Intelligent, Connected and Hybrid Vehicles in ‘Virtual Garages’ IBM Offers Five Imperatives for the Future of the Automotive Industry TRAVERSE CITY, MI, Aug 13, 2008 — The IBM Automotive 2020 Study, based on a global collaboration with 125 automotive industry leaders, today revealed an industry grappling with significant change driven […]

Genomics Of Plant-based Biofuels

ScienceDaily (Aug. 14, 2008) “The Apollo moon shot and the Human Genome Project rallied support for massive R&D efforts that created the capabilities to overcome obstacles that were not contemplated at the outset of these initiatives,” says Rubin. “Similarly, today’s barriers to improving biofuels are significant, but genetics and genomics can catalyze progress towards delivering, […]

Airlines embrace oil decline, but no time to party

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A 23 percent drop in oil prices since mid-July brightens the outlook for troubled airlines, but clouds remain thick over the industry, with little hope that carriers will scale back downsizing plans or repeal unpopular fees. The U.S. airline industry has fallen on hard times, as rising fuel prices have far outpaced […]

Automakers scramble to offer more fuel efficiency

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich (Reuters) – Chrysler LLC on Wednesday outlined plans to launch a new car-based SUV modeled after the Jeep Cherokee, as other major automakers took the spotlight at an industry conference to pitch their own hurried responses to the surging demand for more fuel-efficient cars. A senior Ford Motor Co executive said the […]

Repeat of massive 2003 blackout less likely today, says power overseer

OTTAWA “The single most important thing is modified, mandatory and enforceable reliability standards in the United States, and we are working towards that in all of the provinces of Canada,” said NERC’s president and chief executive officer, Rick Sergel. Canadian Press

The Peak Oil Crisis: The Washington Post Meets Peak Oil Lite

For those who aren’t ready to buy into the concept of world oil production going into decline in the next few years, there is a less worrisome subset making the rounds known as “peak oil lite.” Those adopting this outlook have rightly noted that gasoline is selling for unheard of prices and don’t subscribe to […]

Modern Marvels: Secrets of Oil

Documentary airs tonight in the U.S. Modern Marvels : Secrets of Oil Airs on Wednesday August 13 8:00 PM (and again at 12 Midnight) on The History Channel Rubber, Plastic, Nylon, Aerosols, Resins, Solvents, and Lubricants–none can exist without oil. If we stopped driving our cars tomorrow, America would still need five million barrels of […]

Peak Population

Let It is widely believed that the U.S. population is in decline and has been for decades. Hence, the assumption is that limiting our own population won

Oil: What the drilling advocates say

Supporters say there could be much more oil offshore than the government predicts as they fight for access to new supplies to lower the price of oil. …”We think the estimates are extremely conservative,” said Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for the Institute for Energy Research, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that supports more drilling. Kennedy […]

What Is the Future of Suburbia? A Freakonomics Quorum

On a forum at the Chicago outpost of City-Data.com, a certain JohnDoe2008 asked suburbanites: Why do you like suburbs over [the] city? Be honest please, I never understood it, still don What will the future hold for suburbs? In an interesting article about Clifton Park, a suburb of Albany, N.Y., that has swollen mightily in […]

Heating oil dealers get loan guarantees

HARTFORD, CT The state is guaranteeing loans to dealers with sales of less than $5 million a year through the Connecticut Development Authority’s Small Business Loan Guarantee Program, known by an old acronym of URBANK. Sam Gault, president of Westport-based oil heat dealer Gault Inc., said the industry could use the help because credit lines […]

Bush sends naval force to Georgia

George Bush, the United States president, has said he is sending US military aircraft and naval forces with humanitarian supplies to Georgia. Speaking from the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington on Wednesday, Bush said: “Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis.” He said: “The United States of America […]

Virgin rainforest targeted for oil drilling

Unspoilt Amazonian rainforests covering an area almost as large as Texas have been provisionally earmarked for oil and gas exploration. A new report reveals that the area has been divided into 180 “blocks” designated for exploration by governments of countries that own the land on the western fringe of the Amazon. Their intention is to […]

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