Saudi Aramco Preps 400-Plus Wells at Khurais Mega Project

As the Khurais mega project added 1.2 million bpd of oil to the Kingdom’s energy stream, the Southern Area Production Engineering and Production Services Departments (SAPED and SAPSD) have prepared more than 400 wells required to bring the project on line. The two departments were responsible for 232 oil-producer, 119 water-injector and 58 observation wells […]

Interview: America turns red, white and green

The US’s stance on climate change has shifted beyond recognition. President Barack Obama’s science adviser John Holdren tells Graham Lawton how the US will put its house in order, secure a deal at the make-or-break summit in Copenhagen, and lead the world’s fight against dangerous climate change How will you persuade the American people that […]

Peak oil coming faster than expected, says IEA economist

…Experts backing peak oil theories, such as Matthew Simmons of Simmons and Co, have warned that sharp global declines could happen at any time, and that under best case scenarios, Saudi Arabia will be able to keep production flat for several years but not increase output to keep up with growing demand. Critics of peak-oil […]

U.S. climate bill seen raising household energy cost

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Climate change legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would increase the energy costs of the average family by $142 a year in 2020 and by $583 in 2030, according to the government’s top energy forecasting agency. The estimate from the U.S. Energy Information Administration is in line with cost impact […]

Sustainable agriculture at the ESA Annual Meeting

Advances in ecology increasingly reveal that conventional agricultural practices have detrimental effects on the landscape ecology, creating problems for long-term sustainability of crops. In a series of sessions at the Ecological Society of America’s Annual Meeting, ecologists will present their ideas on how our agricultural practices can take lessons from natural environments. The major crops […]

Hybrid vehicle rebates produce scant environmental benefits, high cost

Despite major costs to taxpayers in the U.S. and Canada, government programs that offer rebates to hybrid vehicle buyers are failing to produce environmental benefits, a new UBC study says. The study finds that hybrid sales have come largely at the expense of small, relatively fuel-efficient, conventional cars, rather than large SUVs, trucks and vans, […]

Earth's biogeochemical cycles, once in concert, falling out of sync

What do the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone,” global climate change, and acid rain have in common? They’re all a result of human impacts to Earth’s biology, chemistry and geology, and the natural cycles that involve all three. On August 4-5, 2009, scientists who study such cycles–biogeochemists–will convene at a special series of sessions at […]

Trees are 'crucial famine food'

Trees can serve as a vital “famine food” to keep drought-hit communities alive when all other food crops fail, according to campaigners. Food insecurity is a routine fact of life for many of the world’s poorest people, Miranda Spitteler, chief executive of Tree Aid told BBC News. She said the West needed to recognise the […]

Harnessing Wave Power With New 'Oyster' Machine

A giant new machine called’ Oyster’ designed to harness the power of ocean waves and turn it into Oyster is designed to be deployed at near-shore water depths of 12 to 16 metres, benefiting from the more consistent seas and narrower directional spread of the waves in this location. The reduced wave height and load […]

Nobel Halo Fades Fast for Climate Change Panel

Two years ago, an international scientific panel seized worldwide attention by reporting that human activity was warming the planet in ways that could greatly disrupt human affairs and nature. The work of the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. After two decades […]

The demise of the middle class

…As the net energy available to society declines, so will of course the amount alloted to each social group. The poor will suffer, of course. The working class in European countries has already lost of what it had won during the sixties and the seventies as employers turned to the mass use of interim workers […]

Things Fall Apart: Complexity, Supply Chains, Infrastructure & Collapse

This is a presentation by Dr. David Korowicz from Feasta, given at the Oil Drum/ASPO Conference at Alcatraz, Italy in June 2009. The author concludes that “The rate of collapse will be dependent upon the the speed of our critical systems- the operational speed of our financial markets, the speed of our supply-chains, and the […]

Shell, BP Delay Projects, Anticipate Lower Costs, Moody

(Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc, Europe

Peak Oil is right answer to wrong question: John Kemp

In a trivial sense, the peak oil theory must be true. Like all the best things, oil is something they don’t make any more. It takes thousands of years of sedimentation, heat and pressure to convert long-dead plants and animals into kerogen then various hydrocarbons (natural gas, crude oil, bitumen, lignite and coal). The volume […]

How Is America Going To End?

We could be crushed by a climate strongman. For the doomsayers of the 1950s, there was no doubt how America would end There’s a danger in believing that our generation’s existential crisis will be the one that destroys us. In a Weekly Standard piece on “The Icarus Syndrome,” Jim Manzi notes the parallels between Britain’s […]

CAMEROON: Fears for Forest as Dam Construction Begins

Crouched on a low wooden stool in front of his mud hut in the village of Pangar, Alain Selembe puffs away at his clay pipe, his gaze lost in the surrounding forest, quite oblivious to the noise made by his two playing daughters. All he hears is the rumbling of bulldozers opening up a 30 […]

How Good Is Algae Fuel At Fighting Climate Change? Totally Depends

The idea of using algae to produce fuel for vehicles has been the blockbuster topic of the summer. Major deals have recently been done by heavyweights like Exxon, and Synthetic Genomics, Sapphire Energy and Bill Gates’ Cascade Investments, and more funding is in the pipeline from the U.S. government. But does that mean that algae-powered […]

Bio-Fueling a Trade War

Europe is facing the twin challenge of trying to get economic growth back on track while being a good steward of the environment. These goals are not necessarily in conflict with each other—unless of course the protectionists get in the way. The European Commission in June adopted regulations about the international trade of green energy […]

StatoilHydro Profit Almost Wiped Out as Demand Slumps

StatoilHydro ASA, the world’s largest offshore oil and gas operator, said profit was almost wiped out in the second quarter as the global recession sapped fuel demand, denting prices for crude and natural gas. Net income fell to 77 million kroner ($12.8 million), or 0.02 kroner a share, from 18.8 billion kroner, or 5.89 kroner, […]

Clinton Seeks U.S. Africa Gains as China Expands Oil Purchases

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shifts to economic statecraft this week on an African tour that stops in major oil and mineral exporters as she seeks advantages for U.S. investors in a market where China is making inroads. After six months of dealing with North Korean provocations, Iran’s election unrest and a coup in Honduras, […]

If You Hated Gasoline at $4 a Gallon, Imagine It at $20: Books

As U.S. gasoline prices spurted last year to more than $4 a gallon, Americans shuddered. Presidential candidates called for a gas-tax “holiday.” Sales of SUVs plunged. Commuters rediscovered trains, buses and bikes. Americans drove 100 billion fewer miles in the 12 months through October 2008 than they did a year before. That was just a […]

75 Million Environmental Refugees to Plague Asia-Pacific

Pacific Islanders, aiming to secure their very survival, are calling for immediate commitments from the developed world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45 percent by 2020. “For us, climate change is a reality. We have been experiencing high tidal waves, which has not been the case earlier,” Pelenise Alofa Pilitati, Chairperson of […]

Peak oil review – Aug 3

1. Production and prices 2. Priorities 3. Mexico 4. Briefs 1. Production and prices It was a very volatile week with oil prices starting off at $68 a barrel, falling to $63 at mid-week, and then bouncing back to close out the month at $69.50. Once again, the fundamentals of the oil market had little […]

Peak Oil Coming in 2020, Says IEA

Peak oil British newspaper The Independent published an interview with Birol on Monday that laid out that prediction, along with statistics that show that the world’s 800 largest oil fields are seeing a 6.7 annual decline in production, worse than the 3.7 percent decline the agency estimated in 2007. The prospect of peak oil is […]

Clunker car deals could end by Friday

Administration urges Senate for $2 billion to keep popular program alive WASHINGTON – The popular but overwhelmed On Monday, the Obama administration pointed to environmental gains made during the first week of the program, which gives rebates of as much as $4,500 to motorists who trade in gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles. The White […]

U.S. needs 45 more nuclear reactors by 2030: study

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – In order to meet lofty climate goals, the U.S. power industry should by 2030 build 45 more nuclear power reactors, cleaner coal power plants, and cut electricity consumption 8 percent, a power industry study issued on Monday showed. The report from the Electric Power Research Institute offers insight into how the […]

NASA offers $1.5 million for 200MPG aircraft

NASA today opened up the completion for its Green Flight Challenge which offers up to $1.5 million for an aircraft that can average at least 100 mph on a 200-mile flight while achieving greater than 200 passenger miles per gallon. Co-sponsored by the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation the competition is scheduled for July […]

Economic oil spill on the horizon?

Rising energy prices are a sign that the economy is improving. But at some point, higher oil and gas costs could jeopardize chances for a sustained recovery. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Oil prices are on the march again, rising above $71 a barrel Monday for the first time in more than a month. The good […]

Gasoline-diesel 'cocktail': Recipe for cleaner, more efficient engines

MADISON Under heavy-load operating conditions for a diesel truck, the fuel mix in Reitz’ fueling strategy might be as high as 85 percent gasoline to 15 percent diesel; under lighter loads, the percentage of diesel would increase to a roughly 50-50 mix. Normally this type of blend wouldn’t ignite in a diesel engine, because gasoline […]

Oil Prices: Past $70 on Economic Optimism; Just Wait for

They say that second marriages represent the triumph of hope over experience. The same, it seems, is true of the oil market. Crude oil futures surged past $71 a barrel, and a one-month high, on the back of some encouraging data about U.S. and Chinese manufacturing. That is, U.S. manufacturing, while still contracting, doesn As […]

« Previous Page — Next Page »

LATEST NEWS HEADLINES

• Why the IEA is Wrong About Peak Oil Demand
• Did we inadvertently speed global warming?  
• Venezuela’s Oil Monopoly Eases
• Why Germany is Choosing Natural Gas Over Nuclear Power
• U.S. coal-fired electricity generation decreased in 2022 and 2023

• America Cracks Down on Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Facilities
• Meet America’s Newest Oil Trader Extraordinaire: Joe Biden
• Is It Time To Refill America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
• Oil prices set to end year 10% lower as demand concerns snap winning streak
• What’s Driving America’s New Oil and Gas Boom?
• China’s peak oil demand bombshell eviscerates Danielle Smith’s energy strategy