‘Zombie apocalypse’ would wipe out humankind in just 100 days

Physics students explore feasibility of surviving viral infection Date: January 5, 2017 Source: University of Leicester Summary: A student study suggests that one hundred days after zombie infection spread less than 300 people would remain alive globally. After one hundred days human survivors would be outnumbered a million to one by zombies. Students worked on […]

The Future Of Oil And Gas? Look To The Past

In the early days of 2017, it behooves oil and gas companies to reflect on the past, while making plans robust to an uncertain future outlook. There are several questions that should be asked: Where are we in the oil and gas price cycles? How will politics and policies affect the business outlook? What are […]

Looting, Riots In Mexico Spiral Out Of Control Over 20% Gas Hike; Hundreds Arrested

Four days after the first sporadic protests emerged in Mexico City, following the infamous “gasolinazo”, or mandatory 15%-20% increase in Mexican gas prices which went into effect on January 1, the mood across the country has significantly deteriorated, with hundreds of demonstrators blocking highways, snarling traffic, raiding gas stations, jeopardizing critical supplies, and looting stores […]

Half of world population made air travel in 2016

A total of 3.7 billion passengers took scheduled flights in 2016 –which amounts to almost half of the global population. A preliminary data, released by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), shows a growth of 6.0% in 2016, compared to 2015. The number of worldwide scheduled flights rose to approximately 35 million. This means that […]

Rex Tillerson

Rex W. Tillerson, in line to become the next secretary of state, has agreed to sever all ties with ExxonMobil Corp. to comply with conflict-of-interest requirements. Senate hearings are scheduled to begin Jan. 11. With his retirement effective Dec. 31, the board awarded Tillerson a retirement package worth an estimated $180 million to severe financial ties; […]

2017: A Quiet Year For Oil?

After several years of turmoil, 2017 could provide investors with the mercy of a relatively quiet year for oil prices. There are reasons to be optimistic about prices going into the start of the year. The OPEC production cuts have shored up sentiment and set the stage for restrained production in the first half which […]

ExxonMobil Develops Technology To Dehydrate Natural Gas

The drive to improve efficiency and lower costs with new technology continues with ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) being among the latest to launch solutions. The oil and gas giant’s cMIST technology removes water vapor from natural gas using an absorption system inside pipes during production. The dehydration technology was described as an alternative to the […]

Oil at $65 Per Barrel? Energy Pros Hopeful In 2017

With OPEC production plans in place and new leadership advancing to the White House, the oil and gas industry left 2016 less weary than it started the year, and more hopeful for 2017. When Rigzone talked with a panel of experts at the end of 2015, the downturn’s end was nowhere in sight. Oil prices […]

Solar Could Beat Coal to Become the Cheapest Power on Earth

Solar power is now cheaper than coal in some parts of the world. In less than a decade, it’s likely to be the lowest-cost option almost everywhere. In 2016, countries from Chile to the United Arab Emirates broke records with deals to generate electricity from sunshine for less than 3 cents a kilowatt-hour, half the […]

Oil business seen in strong position with Trump

Big Oil could be in a unique position to protect its interests against a Republican proposal to tax imports, given that President-elect Donald Trump‘s cabinet is studded with oil champions sensitive to the risk of higher gasoline prices. Trump’s emerging leadership includes Exxon Mobil Corp Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, former […]

KunstlerCast — Byron King of Rickard’s Gold Investor

Today I’m chewing the gristle of finance with Byron King. Byron is a geologist who currently writes a newsletter, in association with economist Jim Rickards, entitled Rickards Gold Speculator with Byron King.  It’s published by Agora Financial, of Baltimore, www.agorafinancial.com.  Over the course if his career, Byron worked in the oil industry, and has had […]

Peak Oil and Capitalism

“Securing adequate oil supplies was … an important element in all the major wars of the twentieth century and in the United States’ two most recent interventions in the Middle East.” (Matthew R. Simmons:Twilight in the Desert) Oil is a bit like the dinosaurs: it was made millions of years ago and is not being […]

The Year In Doom 2016: Counter-Revolution

  Originally published on the Doomstead Diner on January 1, 2017 “History is as light as individual human life, unbearably light, light as a feather, as dust swirling into the air, as whatever will no longer exist tomorrow.”  ― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Every new year, pundits attempt to make sense of the […]

2017 and “Killer Apps” for the Transition

On the Open Manufacturing Google Group, an email list for people interested in open-source industrial design and commons-based peer production models for physical production, Nathan Cravens raised the question of why peer-production of physical goods has had such a hard time gaining traction as an alternative to the corporate capitalist model: Open source projects seem […]

2017 — A Thunderous Clash of Politics, Economies and Policies

Yet another new year has dawned.   But 2017 will be a year like no other. There will be a thunderous clash of policies, economies and politics worldwide.   We will therefore be on a roller-coaster ride, and we should prepare for it and not only be spectators on the side-lines in danger of being swept away […]

H’s, T’s and E’s – A Peak Oil Guide

This is a post meant for people who follow resource depletion, simplified for the group think as “peak oil.” But you might enjoy knowing more about the three groups now thinking about the way this society will crumble – or transform. I’m having a problem. I need some help differentiating the types of thinking in […]

2017: The Year of the Oil Majors

In a few days, Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil (2.3mn b/d of oil produced in 2015) that “has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments”[1] should be appointed US secretary of state. I believe once in office, Donald Trump, who wants to focus on America, could send Rex Tillerson, […]

Learning to love a multipolar world

American foreign policy is at a crossroads. The United States has been an expanding power since its start in 1789. It battled its way across North America in the nineteenth century and gained global dominance in the second half of the twentieth. But now, facing China’s rise, India’s dynamism, Africa’s soaring populations and economic stirrings, […]

250 small earthquakes near the California-Mexico border

A swarm of more than 250 small earthquakes have struck since New Year’s Eve near the California-Mexico border, causing unease among residents and attention from scientists. The strongest earthquake in the sequence was magnitude 3.9, striking directly underneath the town of Brawley, about 170 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The earthquakes struck in the southern end […]

‘Peak Solar’ Hits California

Despite the U.S. Congress passing the Consolidated Appropriations Act in December 2015 to slather another $9.3 billion of taxpayer credits on new solar power added to the electrical grid, California solar installments peaked in 2015 and are now headed south. The extension of the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) through 2021 was quietly tucked into […]

Pakistan: Depleting reserves; all eyes on imported gas to meet energy requirements

Despite extensive drilling by oil and gas exploration and production companies that resulted in over 90 new discoveries in just three years, the much-talked about IP, TAPI and LNG projects are considered the thirst-quenching streams for the energy starved nation. Now with the concerted efforts of the present government, the decades old projects – Iran-Pakistan […]

Saudi cabinet stresses need to implement oil output cut

Saudi Arabia stressed on Monday the importance of co-operation among oil producers to abide by a decision in November to cut production. OPEC agreed in November its first oil output cuts since 2008 after Saudi Arabia accepted “a big hit” on its production and dropped its demand that arch-rival Iran slash output. “The council (of […]

IEA Oil Market Report- December 2016

The IEA released highlights for the December Oil Market report in mid December. I have used information from the November report and assumed OPEC crude output will be 32.7 Mb/d and non OPEC output will be 500 kb/d below the November report supply estimate. I have also used the demand estimates from the December highlights.Based […]

Kunstler: Forecast 2017 The Wheels Finally Come Off

“There is no other endeavor in which men and women of enormous intellectual power have shown total disregard for higher-order reasoning than monetary policy.                                                               […]

Energy in 2016: The Oily Awards

Best Books:  The Boom:  How Fracking Ignited America’s Energy Revolution and Changed the World by Russell Gold, best history; The Price of Oil, Roberto Aguilera and Marian Radetzki, best economics. Best Branding:  “Water protector” used by Dakota Access pipeline opponents to disguise the fact that their victory would have almost no impact on water quality. […]

Why Oil Is the Glue That Bonds Trump and Putin

Oil has fueled a bully bromance between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Although this revolutionary union possesses a terrifying petro logic, it promises to be as volatile and tragic as any shotgun marriage. The relationship is, as Trump might well tweet, “unpresidented.” How, after all, can a president-elect openly admire a foreign leader whose shadowy […]

The Top 10 Energy Stories Of 2016

A lot happened in the energy sector in 2016, with two major stories leading the way. Both the surprising election of Donald Trump to the presidency, and OPEC’s November announcement to curtail production vied for the top spot on my list, as they will both likely impact the energy markets for years to come. But […]

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