Nevada positioned well to be renewable energy capital

A poll shows Nevadans of all political stripes favor renewable energy, which prompted a business and technology spokesman to say the state is in a good spot to become a green makeover mecca. “Nevada is well-positioned to be the renewable energy capital of the world,” said Dave Archer, chief executive officer of the Nevada Center […]

Coal Poses Climate Catastrophe as ”Peak Oil” Approaches

When will oil production peak and begin to decline? And what will come after? When will oil production peak and begin to decline? Scientists, engineers and economists have debated the point for years, on the assumption that emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere will decline when less oil is burned. Not so, says Ken […]

New ban set on regulating global warming gases

Ruling would tie up President-elect Obama who said he wants regulation WASHINGTON – The Bush administration is trying to make sure in its final days that federal air pollution regulations will not be used to control the gases blamed for global warming. In a memorandum sent Thursday, outgoing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson sets […]

Groups sue to stop Utah oil and gas drilling

WASHINGTON – Conservation groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday to block the Bush administration’s last-minute sale of oil-and-gas drilling leases in Utah near national parks and ancient rock art panels. The Bureau of Land Management has scheduled an auction Friday to sell drilling leases covering more than 100,000 acres of wild land in eastern Utah. Sharon […]

Coal waning? World’s reserves may be nearly expired

Governments and organizations around the world may be significantly overestimating just how much coal is available, the new study says. Such fallacious reporting is nothing new This new lower number, Rutledge says, also means fewer fossil fuels to burn and less carbon dioxide to pump into the atmosphere. The net result? He predicts atmospheric carbon […]

Three Gorges Dam tested as water rises

BEIJING (Reuters) – Rising water levels in China’s giant Three Gorges Dam have triggered dozens of landslides in recent months, damaging houses, land and infrastructure worth millions of dollars, state media said on Thursday. In July, China finished evacuating residents from the last town to be submerged by the massive 660-km (400-mile) long reservoir on […]

Oil prices can rise if OPEC delivers cuts

LONDON (Reuters) – OPEC must deliver fully on its promise to tighten supply by a record amount if oil prices are to stabilize above $40 a barrel and eventually return to much higher levels. The 12 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries vowed on Wednesday to remove 2.2 million barrels per day […]

U.S. gasoline seen at $1 a gallon in 2009: Alaron

CHICAGO (Reuters) – The price of gasoline, which soared to above $4 per gallon in July and hit motorists and industry hard, could retail at an average $1 per gallon next year, brokerage Alaron Trading Corp forecast on Thursday. Alaron energy analyst Phil Flynn told a conference in Chicago he expected crude oil prices to […]

Could the Electric Grid Support Far More Wind and Solar?

It is commonly assumed that the existing US electrical grid needs major upgrades to be able support high levels of solar and wind energy. However, new research presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco suggests that the existing grid is capable of dealing with large increments of alternative energy without expensive upgrades. […]

Crude plunges as economy struggles, spending falls

Oil continued its downward march Thursday as mass layoffs pushed the U.S. economy deeper into recession, signaling a drastic pullback on energy spending. Light, sweet crude for February delivery, fell $2.94 to settle at $41.67 barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The January contract, which closes on Friday, fell 9 percent, or $3.84, to […]

Richard Heinberg: Surviving a reduction in social complexity

The literature on societal collapse has expanded in timely fashion in the past couple of years, with the publication of Jared Diamond’s best-selling Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed; Thomas Homer-Dixon’s widely praised The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization; John Michael Greer’s illuminating The Long Descent: A User’s […]

A Holiday for Oil

Are we running out of oil? Hanukkah is all about oil Not according to the International Energy Agency, which now predicts

Kunstler: 10 Ways to Prepare for a Post-oil Society

Bigger must give way to smaller, smarter. A novelist tries his hand at some doable proposals. n the public arena, essayists often are criticized for not offering solutions to our looming energy crisis. Here are some suggestions for those tired of the hand-wringing and ready to do something useful. 1 Expand your view beyond simply […]

The Peak Oil Crisis: Parsing Obama’s Remarks

…The contrasts between the old and new administrations are striking. The environmental credentials of the President-elect’s selections are so strong that the League of Conservation Voters immediately dubbed them “the green dream team.” In introducing his appointees, President-elect Obama outlined his views on the environment and energy and in effect charged his team with their […]

More vandalism at British Columbia gas wells

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) – Police are investigating vandalism at more energy facilities in northern British Columbia, but said on Thursday they do not believe it is related to three bombing incidents. Several natural gas well sites near Fort St. John, British Columbia, had valves tampered with or were hit by gunfire in the incidents […]

Netherlands to strengthen flood fortifications

The Dutch government on Thursday unveiled a multi-billion dollar plan to reinforce dykes and the coastline and augment fresh water supplies in the face of rising sea levels due to global warming. Two-thirds of the Netherlands lies below sea-level and the country is increasingly worried about the threat of devastating floods. …Nine million people from […]

Climate outcome ‘hangs on coal’

If growth in carbon dioxide emissions is to be constrained and even reversed then the world cannot afford a coal renaissance, scientists have said. Some commentators have argued that falling reserves of oil and gas will automatically limit CO2’s rise. But at an American Geophysical Union meeting, researchers said reserves of coal dwarfed those of […]

French Utility to Acquire Part of U.S. Nuclear Giant

The French national utility will acquire a 49.9 percent stake in a major American nuclear operator, in a new push into the American power industry, which is the source of much of the French nuclear technology. The EDF Group, which includes Electricite de France, will buy the stake in the nuclear operations of Constellation Energy, […]

Natural gas extraction method may be subject to more rules

There’s a move in Congress to impose tighter regulations on a key process used to recover natural gas in the Barnett Shale Hydraulic fracturing uses a mix of water, sand and chemicals to create tiny cracks in the rock and release the gas. But it’s been under fire for years from environmentalists who question whether […]

Ocean Acidification Could Have Broad Effects On Marine Ecosystems

Concern about increasing ocean acidification has often focused on its potential effects on coral reefs, but broader disruptions of biological processes in the oceans may be more significant, according to Donald Potts, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an expert in coral reef ecology and marine […]

No quick or easy technological fix for climate change, researchers say

Global warming, some have argued, can be reversed with a large-scale “geoengineering” fix, such as having a giant blimp spray liquefied sulfur dioxide in the stratosphere or building tens of millions of chemical filter systems in the atmosphere to filter out carbon dioxide. But Richard Turco, a professor in the UCLA Department of Atmospheric and […]

Experts detail the 3 rules for technological fixes

TEMPE, Ariz. “These three rules can provide policy makers more clues about the appropriate types of investments and appropriate expectations for the outcomes of those investments,” said Sarewitz, a professor of science and society and co-director of ASU’s Consortium for Science and Policy Outcomes. “They will help us be smarter about identifying situations where we […]

Timing is perfect, but money woes plague electric car maker Think

AURSKOG, Norway (AFP) It is in dire need of cash to pay suppliers, who are exercising caution and demanding up-front payment, and has asked the Norwegian government for either a line of credit, loan guarantees, or a capital injection in exchange for a stake in the company. But to no avail, so far. Contrary to […]

BP Thunder Horse Production Ramping Up

HOUSTON — BP today announced that it has successfully started production from the third and fourth wells at the Thunder Horse field with production now in excess of 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), signalling the completion of commissioning and commencement of full operation. BP plans to start-up additional production from the Thunder […]

Australia: Many in denial over rising population

The United Nation’s Population Fund is concerned population growth in Asia averages 1.1 per cent a year. Australia, as a First World country, should have a much lower growth rate. It does not. By the end of the Howard era, our annual population growth had risen to a stunning 1.5 per cent: almost off the […]

Plentiful Coal, Not Peak Oil, Is Greatest Global Warming Threat

No matter when you believe global oil production will reach its peak and begin its inevitable decline, don’t believe it will help humanity stop the burning of fossil fuels that contribute to global climate change. Why? Coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, is far more plentiful than oil is or ever will be. Turning to coal […]

World Coal Reserves Could Be a Fraction of Previous Estimates

SAN FRANCISCO, California The new model, created by Dave Rutledge, chair of Caltech’s engineering and applied sciences division, suggests that humans will only pull up a total

2009 to witness global agri-commodity shortage

LONDON: Despite stronger production and falling prices for many food staples in the second half of 2008, the risk of food supply shortages remains acute in world markets. These supply shortage risks stem from reduced producer incentives Tightening and more expensive credit is limiting the ability of producers to borrow to finance seasonal inputs

White House calls OPEC action ‘’short sighted”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Wednesday called OPEC’s decision to cut production “short sighted” and said the oil cartel has an obligation to keep the market well supplied. “It’s not clear that OPEC’s actions will be effective given the shift in global demand and the ability of OPEC members to meet the cartel’s […]

U.S. expects big drop in oil imports

Despite the recent drop in crude prices, the rising cost of a barrel of oil will boost the use of renewable energy and help slow greenhouse gas emissions. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Despite the recent rout in oil prices, the government expects crude to shoot back up over the long term. That is expected to […]

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