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The Robert L Hirsch Thread (merged)

General discussions of the systemic, societal and civilisational effects of depletion.

Re: Puplava Interview Robert Hirsch, Matt Simmons, Jeff Rubi

Unread postby TonyPrep » Sat 02 Feb 2008, 17:25:48

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schadenfreude', 'T')hey didn't mention that latest news in Wired Magazine about Cellulosic Ethanol made cheaply at $1/gallon.

According to Wikipedia on the subject, processing waste material alone could provide about 30% of present US liquid fuel requirements. That's before switchgrass or other ethanol-yeilding crops are even brought in to the equation.

The three guests on Puplava's show seem to re-iterate that it is because time is so short that Peak will be a huge, civilization-changing problem. But we've now seen news that Nanosolar and Cellulosic are a present reality that can scale rapidly. How can they keep on shouting doom?
We are always on the edge of technological breakthroughs. 30% of present US liquid fuel needs? So that goes down from there, unless you start generating more waste (since, in a business as usual situation, consumption will rise in the long term). You also assume a perfect situation. Is 30% (of present needs) likely, or is 10% (or less) more likely?

"Waste" is a human term. In nature, as a whole, there is no waste. What would be the side-effects of using all of our "waste" for producing ethanol?

Some people keep on shouting doom, probably because they see so many people relying on the magic elixir. The longer that goes on, the less likely that some kind of soft landing can be engineered.

I regarded Hirsch as an optimist (because he felt that there could be full mitigation of peak effects, given enough time) but even he recognizes that peak is so close now that severe effects of peaking cannot be avoided.
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Re: Puplava Interview Robert Hirsch, Matt Simmons, Jeff Rubi

Unread postby mattduke » Sat 02 Feb 2008, 21:56:58

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schadenfreude', 'T')hey didn't mention that latest news in Wired Magazine about Cellulosic Ethanol made cheaply at $1/gallon.

That's good news. I want to get one of those flex fuel cars. Now, where can I buy the $1 ethanol?
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Re: Puplava Interview Robert Hirsch, Matt Simmons, Jeff Rubi

Unread postby Schadenfreude » Sun 03 Feb 2008, 02:19:17

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mattduke', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schadenfreude', 'T')hey didn't mention that latest news in Wired Magazine about Cellulosic Ethanol made cheaply at $1/gallon.

That's good news. I want to get one of those flex fuel cars. Now, where can I buy the $1 ethanol?


Oh, I forgot. Lots of posters don't reply here on PO.com, they snark.

The company featured in Wired Magazine a few days ago has just discovered a process that would provide for cheap ethanol from waste or scrub crops such as switchgrass. MattDuke, like a two-year old, demands that the process be instantly mature for him. Snarky, snarky.

The company hopes to have a pilot project producing 40,000 gallons of ethanol in a year's time. That should provide guidance for further and rapid development. Since oil isn't going to run out in a year or two or three or four or five or six.., then it would seem that Cellulosic Ethanol has excellent potential for developing infrastructure widely and rapidly.

Similarly, Nanosolar, Inc was featured in Wired (I think) with their product that makes solar energy very competitive with traditional energies. As long as oil prices remain high, substitution will no doubt occur despite all the snarky tantrums you read here.
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Re: Puplava Interview Robert Hirsch, Matt Simmons, Jeff Rubi

Unread postby Schadenfreude » Sun 03 Feb 2008, 03:46:32

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 's')o you're spinning these scams all over the net. investor?

No. Been posting here since '04. Just chose a different username.
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Re: Puplava Interview Robert Hirsch, Matt Simmons, Jeff Rubi

Unread postby Twilight » Sun 03 Feb 2008, 19:41:55

If they didn't say there was a problem, no-one would try to solve it. There's the value in what they are doing.
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Re: Puplava Interview Robert Hirsch, Matt Simmons, Jeff Rubi

Unread postby mattduke » Mon 04 Feb 2008, 13:35:20

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schadenfreude', 'M')attDuke, like a two-year old, demands that the process be instantly mature for him. Snarky, snarky.

The time limit is imposed by nature, not me.
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Hircsh on CNBC Again

Unread postby bratticus » Fri 20 Jun 2008, 23:58:35

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Re: Hircsh on CNBC Again

Unread postby Cashmere » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 00:13:47

Nice cite. Thanks.

EDIT:

Just watched the video.

1. WOW. Anchors seemed genuinely curious and not dismissive. Very very sobering. 500 in 3-5 years is the same thing as saying, EOTWAWKI in 3-5 years.

I wonder how many in the TV audience understood the magnitude of that number?

Like when the professor in Back to the Future hears the video tape of himself saying, "1.21 gigiwatts", and he freaks out.

2. Who the f-ck was the chick in the beginning with the dark hair?

PhD guy from Ivy League school, an expect on the subject, commissioned to research the issue and present it to Congress says, prices going up - only so much oil.

Young, ditsy, credentialless chick says, "could go up, might go down, who knows??"

WTF is that?
Last edited by Cashmere on Sat 21 Jun 2008, 00:26:31, edited 1 time in total.
Massive Human Dieoff <b>must</b> occur as a result of Peak Oil. Many more than half will die. It will occur everywhere, including where <b>you</b> live. If you fail to recognize this, then your odds of living move toward the "going to die" group.
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Re: Hircsh on CNBC Again

Unread postby ColossalContrarian » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 00:24:17

"CNBC's economist says oil could go back to $50" hahaha

Hirsch is a straight shooter.
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Re: Hircsh on CNBC Again

Unread postby ColossalContrarian » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 00:28:01

“People will do anything to alleviate the problem which is going to be extremely severe”

8O

it's really no suprise for the people at PO.com
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Re: Hircsh on CNBC Again

Unread postby Daniel_Plainview » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 00:49:52

"Economists don't understand that we're limited by geology"

You tell 'em, Robert.
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Re: Hircsh on CNBC Again

Unread postby mos6507 » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 01:02:06

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DoomWarrior', '[')i]"Economists don't understand that we're limited by geology"

You tell 'em, Robert.


That's fine, I just don't like his CTL and shale oil suggestions. I can understand why he's grasping at straws, but he should know what the endgame is here.
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Re: Hircsh on CNBC Again

Unread postby SILENTTODD » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 01:11:29

only 3 to 5 years? hmmm................................................

Like they say in the Captal One commericials; "What's in your Wallet!?

What will you do with less than 3 to 5 years to prepare (and the price of gas is already through the roof!!}
Skeptical scrutiny in both Science and Religion is the means by which deep thoughts are winnowed from deep nonsense-Carl Sagan
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Re: Hircsh on CNBC Again

Unread postby ColossalContrarian » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 01:16:16

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cashmere', 'N')ice cite. Thanks.

EDIT:

Just watched the video.

1. WOW. Anchors seemed genuinely curious and not dismissive. Very very sobering. 500 in 3-5 years is the same thing as saying, EOTWAWKI in 3-5 years.

I wonder how many in the TV audience understood the magnitude of that number?


2%. The rest think this is like the 70' and happies days will be here in a couple months.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cashmere', '
')2. Who the f-ck was the chick in the beginning with the dark hair?
...
Young, ditsy, credentialless chick says, "could go up, might go down, who knows??"

WTF is that?


I don't know but she's hot and makes me want to go out and buy a new F350 SuperTanker

Economics, what's that? Like supply and demand? Corn makes gas right?
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Re: Hircsh on CNBC Again

Unread postby Schadenfreude » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 03:13:52

You know what this country needs?

A good uber-Doomerish Simpsons episode devoted to Peak Oil.

ASPO, Hirsch, Heinberg... now even CNBC... all these folks are trying to get the word out. But I think it's going to take Homer J. to nail the argument down for most of 'Merca.

Prices need to go up to an ideal point where economic change is optimum over a period of at least 15 years. I don't think the market's invisible hand is going to achieve this.

I think the market is going to let us know en masse that we need to do something when it's really far, far, far too late (it's already too late to avoid tough times).

It is completely ridiculous to try to foist the Doomer idea on the population at large that every effort to overcome our energy challenge is utterly futile. How are you going to sell this idea? What would be the reaction of the population at large if Wolf Blitzer got up there and publicly drank the Doom Kool-Aid every day on CNN?

I'm convinced that the world needs to convene a global energy summit which espouses conservation primarily and also coordinates further development (especially in China and India) and organizes a worldwide "kitchen sink" approach to energy research - that is, throw everything at the problem in a systematic, coordinated way.

Some broad Middle Eastern agreement will have to be settled between the Asians, Europeans and Americans. Iraq's oil looks like the last best hope for buying time. Such a broad agreement would entail as a first step a completely open inventory of oil reserves everywhere and especially in the ME (as Matthew Simmons has been yelling for).

Of course, I'm one who strongly suspects that this peak oil knowledge and its repercussions has been knocking around in heads such as Dick Cheney's since the 90's. And the whole Iraq venture was to impose the US in the region ahead of any such global summit.

How could the US not be aware of oil peaking when this country was the first large producer to experience decline and its geopolitical ramifications? The NSA and CIA and White House and Congress have had 40 years to ponder this question.
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Robert Hirsch changing his tune?

Unread postby Peleg » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 03:17:57

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=774744570&play=1

Check that one out!

Now we have him and Roscoe talking about opening up drilling. I still don't think it matters much, but I do get the sense that they are trying to blunt an expected liquid fuels shortage. Hirsch says here possibly $550 per barrel in five years. That would translate using a very poor linear approximation to something like $20-$25 per gallon for gas.

Is anyone else paying attention to this, or are we all just trying to short sell oil ahead of the Saudi announcement of another 1.6 mbpd next year? I mean really, we need an extra 3 mbpd every year just to keep up with depletion as it is. Are we asleep in the soft glow of our whale oil lamps? What's up folks!
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Re: Robert Hirsch changing his tune?

Unread postby Jack » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 03:45:10

That's quite a catch! Thank you for posting it.
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Re: Robert Hirsch changing his tune?

Unread postby DomusAlbion » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 05:30:39

Well that was a cheery little video.

News Bimbo: "How soon might we see this hypothetical $500 per barrel oil?"

Hirsch: "I think 3 to 5 years is a reasonable timeframe."

That will be the end of it. 8O
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Re: Robert Hirsch changing his tune?

Unread postby zberry » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 06:34:18

Yes. That's the video of the year.
It appears that the price has been going up an average of 6% per month since 2004. Continue that and we get the $300-$500 in 3-5 years
Becky, Carl, and Joe were literally dumbfounded when Hirsch dropped that little bombshell in a calm, matter of fact voice.
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