As the Fantasy Dies: “Panic Will Ensue”

The US government may have funded studies and propaganda material which says that people will not panic, loot or go hungry in the midst of a crisis, but the fact of the matter is that history has shown otherwise. Image: Northern Rock bank run. It’s often the case that, despite countless warnings from those considered to […]

The REAL Fukushima Danger

The fact that the Fukushima reactors have been leaking huge amounts of radioactive water ever since the 2011 earthquake is certainly newsworthy.  As are the facts that: Tepco doesn’t know how to stop the leaks Scientists have no idea where the cores of the nuclear reactors are Radiation could hit Korea, China and the West Coast of North America fairly hard But the […]

50% Reduction In Cost Of Renewable Energy Since 2008

Renewable energy becoming more cost-competitive with fossil fuels isn’t news – as technology improves and more clean power generation comes online, electricity without emissions gets cheaper. But one new analysis reveals just how shockingly cheap it’s gotten. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from wind and solar sources in America has fallen by more than […]

Saudi, UAE in migrant boom

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are in the top five nations for international migrants as demand for foreign labour in the oil-producing countries grows, figures show. The data released by the United Nations found 232 million people, or 3.2 per cent of the world’s population, were international migrants in 2013. This compared to 175 million […]

The peak in world oil production is yet to come

World oil production stagnated between 2005 and 2007, which given rapid growth in demand from emerging economies sent oil prices shooting up. Some observers suggested that production might never rise much above the levels seen in 2005. Among those who raised this possibility, two of the more thoughtful have changed their mind. Euan Mearns last […]

Next financial crisis could be coming

The “Lehman weekend” five years ago has taken on symbolic importance as the fulcrum of the financial crisis, but the roots of the crisis were broad and deep—planted in years of unconstrained excess on Wall Street and prolonged complacency in Washington and financial capitals worldwide. “Shadow banking” permitted the financial sector to engage in highly […]

Scarcity Reveals an Inaccessible Excess

For decades Zakayo Ekeno has walked Turkana County’s arid land, herding his livestock, and his father’s before that. Yet nothing about the persistently drought-stricken land in northern Kenya could have given him an indication of the wealth beneath it. “I have asked myself many times whether anything good can come out of this godforsaken land,” […]

Behind Syria’s Crisis: How Oil & Gas Limits Contributed To The Civil Unrest

The Syrian civil war has been ongoing since 15 March 2011. Though the roots of the conflict are political by nature, Syria’s depleting oil and gas reserves also played a major role in sparking the unrest: When oil exports dropped, the government suddenly found itself unable able to pay for programs that had been placating […]

Bubbling Up: Geothermal Sees Big Global Growth

While geothermal power remains a relatively niche source of renewable energy, it is still a piece of the puzzle. EarthTechling reports that global production is set to double over the next few years – Bubbling Up: Geothermal Sees Big Global Growth. Global geothermal power capacity could be on its way toward doubling, according to a […]

Ugo Bardi: The next ten billion years – II

Thou must now at last perceive of what universe thou art a part, and of what administrator of the universe thy existence is an efflux, and that a limit of time is fixed for thee, which if thou dost not use for clearing away the clouds from thy mind, it will go and thou wilt […]

Anima Mundi

Anima Mundi directed by Peter charles Downey (2011). An independent, unique and interesting feature documentary on permaculture, peak oil, climate change and Gaia theory. Starring David Holmgren, Vandana Shiva, Noam Chomsky, Michael C. Ruppert, Michael Reynolds (earthships), John Seed, Dr. Mark O’Meadhra, Dr. Christine James and Permablitz. HD 77 minutes. Anima Mundi is Latin for […]

Robert Rapier: What Happened to Advanced Biofuels

Last week, The Economist posed the following question: “What happened to biofuels?” The biofuels in question are so-called second generation biofuels that are produced from trees, grasses, algae, — in general, feedstocks that don’t also have a use as food. The appeal is obvious to anyone concerned about the world’s dependence on petroleum, and further worried that a […]

U.S. oil group says FBI warns fuel storage operators to be on alert

U.S. officials have warned energy companies to be on the alert for “potential terrorist activities” at fuel storage plants but there were no immediate threats, an oil industry group told members on Friday. The Petroleum Marketers Association of America told members the Federal Bureau of Investigation “is concerned about terrorists attempting to purchase or steal […]

North Dakota Oil Production Hits Record High

Oil production in North Dakota hit a new record high in July as oil companies brought more wells online once summer rains stopped, the state regulator said. Output in July jumped by 55,000 barrels per day from the month before, to just below 875,000 bpd, monthly data issued by the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s Oil […]

Human population growth is still the greatest threat to our environment

In 2008, I wrote a post titled, “Should We Stop Having Children to Save the Earth?“.  This post got a lot of attention.  Even the BBC wanted to interview me!   Human population growth is an issue that is personal and public, as people take both sides defending their right to have a large family […]

U.S., Russia Reach Deal On Syria Chemical Weapons

Following two days of negotiations in Geneva, this morning John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov announced they have reached an agreement for a framework on how Syria would destroy its chemical weapons, and would also seek a UN Security Council resolution that would authorize sanctions, but not military action as per Russia’s demand, […]

Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save the Economy

My book, Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save the Economy, comes out in December, and I’m already getting pushback about the title. It makes a bold claim, alright—our economy is in a bad way. I didn’t believe it myself when I first started writing about this topic, but the facts–and my experience—have me convinced. What’s more, […]

The Export Capacity Index

In this paper, I briefly review recent global crude oil and liquids production numbers, and I review the Export Land Model (ELM). I also introduce the concept of the Export Capacity Index (ECI), which is simply the ratio of total petroleum liquids production to liquids consumption in net oil exporting countries. I then compare the […]

Egypt for Sale

Three years has seen the overturn of two government, the deaths of thousands of people and the destruction of much of the Egyptian economy.  In the end, the mobs have changed nothing, except to make their own lives more miserable. It was a year ago in August of 2012 that the Morsi government approached the […]

Could Big-SUV Boom Hint At Fruits Of U.S. ‘Energy Security’?

Full-size SUVs rather suddenly are notching some of the biggest sales increases in the sizzling U.S. market these days, at least on a percentage basis. And with Americans’ growing sense of “energy security” because of burgeoning domestic gasoline supplies, and prices that are moderating somewhat, this trend might be just a harbinger of a further […]

Non-OPEC Charts

This page contains a chart of Crude + Condensate of the 25 largest Non-OPEC producing nations. And all the other nations are combined under the title “Other”. I will keep this page updated every month. For the countries Norway, Mexico and the USA, I am able to gather advanced production  data. So these countries will […]

Twenty (Important ) Concepts I Wasn’t Taught in Business School – Part I

21 years ago I received an MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago. The world became my oyster. Or so it seemed. For many years I achieved status in the metrics popular in our day ~ large paychecks, nice cars, travel to exotic places, girlfriend(s), novelty, and perhaps most importantly, respect for being a […]

Mexico could make North America the world leader in oil production

Mexico is poised to join the North American oil revolution as a new government is moving to significantly modify 75-year-old constitutional restrictions against foreign involvement in the oil sector, allowing U.S. firms to go in for the first time and help develop the country’s sizable untapped reserves. Energy analysts are increasingly optimistic that Mexico will […]

Conservation of Water Being Addressed by Oil-Gas Industry

Water usage by the oil and gas industry has drawn the attention of just about everyone in Texas, especially because of the lack of rain during the last three years. The oil and gas industry has been concerned about water issues, too, for a variety of reasons. First, there are the costs of securing and […]

This is what collapse feels like: Becoming a student of fear

Lest anyone assume that this series is a rehash of my 2011 book Navigating The Coming Chaos: A Handbook For Inner Transition, let’s dispense with that assumption immediately. Two years and a boatload of human and ecological suffering since the publication of that book have produced much more to explore beyond what I wrote in […]

Peak Coal In China

Citibank has released an interesting report on “peak coal” in China – referring to peak demand rather than any supply driven peak of production (something I view as quite far off) – The Unimaginable: Peak Coal in China. The limit to coal use appears to be how much pollution the Chinese population is willing to […]

Freedom from oil dependence

When Daniel Yergin met with Big Three executives in 2005, gasoline prices were still under $2 a gallon, and company leaders mainly were concerned about how to use their biggest vehicles to maximize profits during the industry’s historic boom. “They were just locked into trucks; that was the future,” recalled Yergin, hailed as the world’s […]

Sex-selection abortions cause of missing girls in India

Promotion of sex-selection abortions as a population control strategy, crafted in the US and then exported worldwide, has resulted in millions of missing girls in India, China and elsewhere, a Congressional human rights panel has been told. “It was development professionals who first promoted sex-selective abortion as a potential solution to what they saw as […]

Can We Be Proud Of The Global Car Industry?

Auto manufactureing is an over one trillion dollar industry that does the very important jobs of (1) keeping a good percentage of the world’s population busy from 9 to 5 and (2) giving us machines to zip around in. But can we, as humans, really be proud of what it produces? I normally think abut […]

Peak Oil Wars

Informational animation on the world’s depleting oil supply created for the Post Carbon Institute. Software Used: Illustrator, After Effects, C4D CREDITS Client: Post Carbon Institute Company: Monstro Animation, Direction, and Design: Alexander Perry and Michael Wilson Producers: Dalton Crosthwait and Todd Brilliant Sound Design: Ben Roider – Creative Commons by Michael Wilson ( http://vimeo.com/user6525563 )

« 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