Petrobras Shares Some Considerations in a Response

Lucio Pimentel of Petrobras sent The Oil Drum a response to Tony Eriksen’s post World Oil Capacity to Peak in 2010 Says Petrobras CEO that TOD published last week. In the spirit of courtesy and the exchange of ideas, it is posted below the fold in its entirety with the permission of Mr. Pimentel. Petrobras […]

The Release of the Industry Taskforce Report on Peak Oil and Energy Security

This is a guest post from Erica Thompson, formerly with the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC Report) and now working on a PhD at Imperial College, London. She attended the ITPOES report launch on our behalf. Today’s (10th Feb 2010) launch of the second report of the Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security […]

John Michael Greer: Becoming a Third World Nation

In the course of writing last week I say

Low oil prices: A tool to control Iran

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — A desire to bring Iran to the bargaining table over its nuclear program could keep oil prices low worldwide for the next several months. The country is the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, getting most of its revenue from oil sales, and needs prices near $100 a barrel to adequately sustain its […]

Oil exploration costs rocket as risks rise

LONDON (Reuters) – Finding oil and gas to replace the world’s fast dwindling reserves is increasingly risky as rigs probe areas once seen as too difficult or too dangerous, and costs are rocketing, which could imperil future supply. The cost of discovering each new barrel of oil and gas has risen three-fold over the last […]

The Next Crisis: Prepare for Peak Oil

As Europe’s leaders gather in Brussels today, they have only one crisis in mind: the debts that threaten the stability of the European Union. They are unlikely to be in any mood to listen to warnings about a different crisis that is looming and that could cause massive disruption. A shortage of oil could be […]

2 U.S. firms wash hands of tar sands

WASHINGTON-Canada The decisions are not expected to seriously hamper the southbound flow of Alberta oil, which represents a fifth of all U.S. energy imports. But they mark a turning point in environmental activism against synthetic crude from Alberta, as climate campaigners work company by company to discourage consumption of Canadian energy. Toronto Star

Tritium hot zone expands

VERNON “This is a very large area that encompasses many potential sources of water at this concentration of tritium, including the condensate storage tank and the systems and components of the advanced off-gas system,” Irwin said late Monday afternoon. He said the area of contamination was roughly from the reactor building to the Connecticut River. […]

Colombian gas exports to Venezuela collapse in January

Exports of Colombian gas to Venezuela declined to 60 million cubic feet per day (cbpd) in January compared with an average of 179 cbpd last year, the US oil company Chevron reported on Tuesday. The sharp decline in gas supply could further increase energy problems in the western region of Venezuela. This part of the […]

The Peak Oil Crisis: Government in Transition I

All it takes is a snowstorm or two to remind us how dependent we have become on government at all levels. Sitting at home waiting for the plows should remind the more perceptive among us that we are no longer in the 18th century where nearly every family, equipped with an ax and a rifle, […]

Peak Oil Solution: The Simmons Plan

Well get ready for the Simmons Plan. This iteration has been hatched by Houston investment banker and Peak Oil worrywort Matt Simmons. The gist: 1. build the world’s biggest windfarm off the windy coast of Maine. 2. Use the electricity generated to desalinate and deionize sea water. 3. Use that water, plus electricity and air, […]

Scrap UK's wind farm plans, says Gazprom boss

Plans to build thousands of wind farms in the UK are irrational and should be scrapped in favour of more gas plants, according to the deputy chairman of the Russian energy firm Gazprom. Alexander Medvedev said the UK and other countries should adopt a more “pragmatic” approach towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions following the impasse […]

IBM Believes Its New Solar Cell Could Lower Power Prices in Future

CTZSS. It doesn’t really roll off the tongue as easily as CIGS, but IBM says that its new solar cell could potentially lower the price of solar power in the future. The solar cell is made from copper, tin, zinc, sulfur and selenium, all of which are somewhat earth-abundant, according to IBM. The test cell […]

Alternative futures of a warming world

An international team of climate scientists will take a new approach to modeling the Earth’s climate future, according to a paper in 11 February Nature. The next set of models will include, for the first time, tightly linked analyses of greenhouse gas emissions, projections of the Earth’s climate, impacts of climate change, and human decision-making. […]

Eastern Syria faces

DAMASCUS // Free market economic reforms have helped create a In addition, the academics said subsequent efforts by the authorities to mitigate the impacts of severe water shortages had come too late, been insufficient and been hampered by corruption. According to the United Nations, 1.3 million people in the eastern region of Syria have been […]

Despite millions in tax credits, wind-energy firms aren't hiring

WASHINGTON The growth in wind-farm installations in the U.S. was a product of federal stimulus spending. Nonetheless, wind-equipment manufacturers cut as many as 2,000 jobs last year. According to the American Wind Energy Association, a trade group, the drop in U.S. jobs is due, in part, to the lack of a long-term national policy that […]

Plan B 4.0 by the Numbers

World agriculture today faces pressure from many sources. On the production side, the amount of unused arable land worldwide has dwindled. Overworked soils are becoming eroded and degraded, and overpumped aquifers are being depleted. Meanwhile, as the global population grows and increasing biofuel production converts grain into fuel for cars, demand for food continues to […]

Climate 'Tipping Points' May Arrive Without Warning, Says Top Forecast

A new University of California, Davis, study by a top ecological forecaster says it is harder than experts thought to predict when sudden shifts in Earth’s natural systems will occur — a worrisome finding for scientists trying to identify the tipping points that could push climate change into an irreparable global disaster. “Many scientists are […]

38 percent of world's surface in danger of desertification

A team of Spanish researchers has measured the degradation of the planet’s soil using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a scientific methodology that analyses the environmental impact of human activities, and which now for the first time includes indicators on desertification. The results show that 38 percent of the world is made up of arid […]

Think further ahead about oil, buyers told

Fossil fuel buyers need to buy further in advance and reduce their dependency on oil-based fuels if they are to cope with an impending oil crunch. The advice follows mounting fears over In a feature examining what purchasers can do

Globalization Is Killing The Globe: Return to Local Economies

…From the days of Adam Smith, classical economics pointed out that manufacturing and extraction are the only two ways to “create wealth.” “Wealth” is different from “income.” Wealth is value, which endures at least for some time. Income is simply compensation for work. If you wash my car for $10 and I mow your lawn […]

The Death of an American Community

My county is dying. As I ride to Spartan Express gas station to get my 5 gallons of gas for my pickup, I notice that the readout on the Citgo gas pump has been vandalized, and the pumps are bent and beat up. A few years ago, the Hugo Chavez-Venezuela gas station and its pumps […]

Green Stimulus Jobs Going to China?

Jon Karl finds most green jobs created by the stimulus are created in China. (video) ABC

DOE: Addressing America

From Office of Naval Research (ONR) Naval Energy Forum Oct 14, 2009 Dr. Steven Koonin, Undersecretary for Science, Department of Energy – Addressing America’s Energy Challenges Presentation (Slide 2)America Energy Security Mostly about liquid hydrocarbons for transport Goal: 3.5 M bbl/day reduction in crude use (~25% of daily transport use) (Slide 9)The energy security problem […]

Shtokman gas project postponed

The Gazprom-led Shtokman Development Co, operator of a super-giant gas project in the Russian Arctic intended eventually to deliver fuel to Europe and the United States, announced on February 5 that investment decisions and field development were being postponed. The investment decision for field work is being rescheduled from the end of 2010 to late […]

Chinese company to implement Baotou's rare earth reserve plan

A subsidiary of China’s Baotou Steel Rare-Earth Company will be responsible for implementing a strategic rare-earth reserve plan of Baotou City in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the company said Wednesday. In a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Baotou Steel Rare-Earth said the plan would be undertaken by its subsidiary Baotou Steel Rare-Earth International Trading […]

Energy saving plan worries Venezuela's businesses

President Hugo Chavez’s energy saving plan for easing severe electricity shortages will hurt Venezuela’s manufacturing sector as the country struggles through a recession, business leaders and analysts say. Chavez declared an energy emergency this week, announcing he will punish businesses and industries that use what the government considers excessive amounts of electricity, while rewarding those […]

Agricultural Commodities in Light of Peak Oil

The subject of Peak Oil seems timely this week, as it has been pointed to in a number of news-worthy articles and video interviews. It is imperative to stay informed on this issue. This article hopes to provide some of the latest pertinent information on the subject while tying together how agricultural and oil commodities […]

Leggett: Society ignores the oil crunch at its peril

In the years approaching the credit crunch, whistleblowers were limited to a few insightful economists and financial journalists. Now whistles are blowing again about another grave threat to the global economy and the security of nations. They warn of an oil crunch: an unexpected crash in global production such that supply can no longer meet […]

Peak oil warnings turn up in the strangest places

It’s always intriguing to see how companies come out on the big – and often controversial – questions of energy future. The UK Peak Oil Task Force, which launched a new report today, has a small membership: two engineering firms, an energy company, a rail operator, and Solar Century, whose founder Jeremy Leggett contributed to […]

« 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