Plans begin for looming peak oil crisis

Gas prices around $3 a gallon are making drivers grouchy. If prices rose to $4 a gallon, drivers would probably howl, maybe tossing out an incumbent politician or two in their anger.


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Oil Depletion Economics 101

The following article has been extracted from my book "Oil, Jihad and Destiny". It looks at the basic economic considerations that must be resolved when we try to analyze oil production, consumption and pricing, or the impact these factors will have on the economy. Please note: the information contained in this article is presented without any warranty. I am publishing it to provide a basis for thoughtful discussion.

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The pay zone

A MUST READ ARTICLE IN CHICAGO TRIBUNE.

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Oil Crisis Over? Dennis Dubin Claims Green Prisons May Ease Energy Woes

Dennis Dubin, an innovative thinker who creates leading edge concepts in areas of social concern (www.upeace.org), has turned his attention to prison construction and is challenging the status quo. "We keep building more prisons in the U.S., but the methods for building them waste valuable resources - most notably taxpayers' money," he said.

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A little bit helps

The drive to increase bitumen upgrading in Alberta made another breakthrough with the signing of a supply agreement between producer Canadian Natural Resources and private start-up North West Upgrading.

Under the deal, Canadian Natural will supply 25,000 barrels per day of Cold Lake Blend heavy crude over five years to the C$2.4 billion North West plant that is due on stream near Edmonton in 2010 with initial capacity of 50,000 bpd, with tentative plans for two more phases of 50,000 bpd each if the venture succeeds.


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Portland prepares peak oil briefing book

In May 2006, Portland City Council created a Peak Oil Task Force to develop recommendations on appropriate responses to uncertainties in the supply and affordability of oil. The Task Force is intended to identify key short-term and long-term vulnerabilities and develop recommendations for addressing these. Twelve citizens were appointed to the Task Force in June, and the Task Force is expected to provide recommendations to City Council in early 2007.

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Praying for an oil crisis

I never thought I'd be praying for an oil crisis. Sounds pretty odd, right?
The simmering frog syndrome is a metaphor for the current American situation. When you put a frog in hot water he jumps out. When you put a frog in tepid water and slowly increase the heat, you have frog dinner. We need an immediate oil crisis to get this American frog to jump.

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Iran, Lebanon, Russia, and India—It is about Power and Oil!

Similarities to Events Leading up to WW1
The Rise of Shiite Power in the Gulf
The Three Factions in the Struggle for World Domination
The Rome Conference, the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973-4 and the Euro-Arab Dialog (EAD)
The Taef Accord of 1989The Arc of Shiite Control vs. the Sunni Pan-Islam
The Roles of Hezbollah and Al QaedaRussia and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)Venezuela and Mecosur Flame the Fires of Conflict
Venezuela and Egypt to Gain Seats on the United Nations Security Council
Russia and Iran Challenge OPEC – Russia Leaves the West?
The Role of the Petroleum Commons
Sunni Terrorism Spreads East
The Apocalyptic Teaching of Islam
Conclusion

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San Francisco Peak Oil Hearing, July 28, 2006

Every day, a river of cars flows across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco, bringing workers, tourists, and visitors to the city. All run on petroleum fuels. Every day, a staccato procession of planes land at SFO, bringing tourists, conventioneers, and returning residents. All fly on petroleum fuels. Every day, a phalanx of trucks deliver food to grocery stores, restaurants, and corner markets. All run on petroleum fuels. Every day, roads are paved, potholes are filled, roofs are tarred, machinery is lubricated, tires are replaced. All are derived from petroleum. Every day, hundreds of thousands of purchases take place, every one enabled by petroleum.

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The Guns of August (Redux)

The guns began early. By mid-July, Israel and her various adversaries were locked in combat with bombs falling, rockets flying, reserves mobilizing and casualties mounting. As the fighting increased, observers noted the similarities between the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 and the provocative abduction of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah this month. In 1914 repercussions from the assassination quickly spread to engulf the major European powers. The ensuing wars and their aftershocks continued for the rest of the century. Europe was never to be the same again.

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Word on the Street: On Peak Oil With LICBDC's Dan Miner

If you travel in business circles, chances are you have crossed paths with Dan Miner, the senior vice president of business services for the Long Island City Business Development Corporation. But Miner doesn't spend all of his free time trying to get businesses to relocate to Western Queens, he is also a driving force behind the New York City chapter of the Peak Oil movement, a group that believes world oil production will soon peak, and that the circumstances following are dire indeed.

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Eight ways that modern medicine is oil dependent

Most of our modern medical system is oil-dependent, just like the rest of society. Oil has been so cheap for so long that it has become a pervasive presence in health care delivery. This impact is most obvious when one looks at the transport systems required to maintain a health service. Just as suburbia has been subsidised by the endowment of cheap and plentiful oil, modern medical care is predicated on the cheap movement of things and people from one place to another. This cheap transportation is so crucial that the system must fall apart if no alternatives are developed before oil becomes scarce and even more expensive. This article examines these issues from the perspective of large hospitals - they represent one of the most centralised expressions of health care delivery, and will probably become one of the first major casualities of peak oil.

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Ignoring inconvenient messages

I've probably spent too much time lately reading books with depressing titles like "Our Final Hour" by Martin Rees, "The End of Oil" by Paul Roberts or "The Long Emergency" by James Howard Kunstler. These are writers who aren't afraid to look unflinchingly at an event that most people are unwilling to contemplate, but which nearly everyone, at some level, must know is coming: the peak of worldwide hydrocarbon production, particularly oil and gas. There's disagreement about whether that peak is occurring right now or whether it will occur in 10, 20 or 30 years, but nearly everyone who thinks about things like this agrees that it will happen in the lifetimes of many people who are alive today.

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India to double uranium capacity this year

India will double uranium capacity this year to meet requirements of its nuclear programmes, a top government official said on Wednesday.

"We are in the process of expanding uranium capacity. Projects are already underway and uranium capacity would be doubled this year," Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman Anil Kakodkar said at a seminar here.

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The uranium rush is ON

Recent studies by RBC Capital Markets (RBCCM), a global resources specialist, have found that long-term uranium prices must rise to $60 a pound to meet fuel requirements for new nuclear reactors. Since the start of the current crude oil crisis, uranium has become one of the world’s hottest commodities, given its crucial role in powering nuclear reactors, which provide an alternative to energy sourced from hydrocarbons such as crude oil and natural gas.

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Gold May Rise on Speculation Fed to Struggle Curbing Inflation

Gold may resume its rally on speculation that the Federal Reserve will halt interest-rate increases too soon to curb inflation, as fuel costs remain near record highs.

Eighteen of 42 traders, investors and analysts from Sydney to Chicago surveyed by Bloomberg News on July 20 and July 21 advised buying gold, which fell 7.2 percent to $620.20 an ounce in New York last week. Fifteen respondents said to sell and nine were neutral.

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CNBC TO BECOME PRO-GOLD?

During the 1990s, CNBC's daytime ratings surpassed those of CNN. Go to any health club in 1999, and those running on the treadmill were glued to CNBC. Fast forward to 2002-04 and we saw what happened once Americans realized that the bull market of the late-90s was collapsing. CNBC's ratings plunged and the network unsuccessfully tried to come up with new programs to attract or retain viewers. The graveyard of CNBC television programs includes classics such as 'Open Exchange', 'Dennis Miller', 'Checkpoint CNBC', 'McEnroe', 'Bullseye' and many others.

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$100 Oil Sure Bet, Rogers Says; Merrill Lynch Demurs

Jim Rogers, the co-founder of George Soros's Quantum hedge fund, says oil prices will reach $100 a barrel, possibly this year. Merrill Lynch & Co.'s Francisco Blanch says no way.

``Unless somebody discovers something very quickly and very accessibly, we're all going to be dumbfounded at how high the price of oil will go, including me,'' Rogers said in an interview in Singapore.

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Pickens bets on $80 a barrel

Says sky high oil prices are the result of supply and demand, not Mideast tensions.

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Ethiopia invades Somalia

While most of the world is focused on the Middle East, open war between Somalia and Ethiopia, an equally significant and parallel event, has been bumped from the headlines entirely. Another nation is in the process of being invaded and occupied, with US approval, based on the “war on terrorism” pretext.

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Grain drain: Get ready for Peak Grain

Brace yourself for crises at the cash register. Major price hikes for food are coming, as Peak Grains join the lineup of life-changing events such as Peak Oil and Peak Water. Unless this year's harvest is unexpectedly different from six out of the last seven, the world's ever-decreasing number of farmers will not produce enough staple grains to feed its ever-increasing number of people.

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Clinton raises alarm about oil depletion

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton has urged newspaper editors to focus more attention on the depletion of the world’s oil reserves. In a June 17 speech to the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies convention in Little Rock, Arkansas, Clinton said a “significant number of petroleum geologists” have warned that the world could be nearing the peak in oil production.

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Power woes plague New York

Tempers flared along with summer temperatures in the New York borough of Queens, where officials said the damage to the region's underground utility network is worse than thought. The area's six-day power outage could extend for several more days, the mayor said over the weekend.

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Rising energy prices boost sales of helicopters for offshore rigs

Rising fuel prices that are a bane to consumers have been a boon to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and other manufacturers of helicopters shuttling workers to and from rapidly multiplying offshore drilling rigs.

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"Alternative" Energy myths and facts

I'm sick of knuckleheads in the MSM throwing around phrases like alternative energy, so it's time to clear up exactly what an alternative energy is or isn't.

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Call to plan for changing energy future

Parliament's environmental watchdog has called for a radical democratisation of the electricity sector and says the Government needs to provide it with a clear, long-term strategy.

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Oil Prices Fall but Trader Says $4 a Gallon Gas is Still in Our Future

Within the next six months to one year gas prices will rise to $4 for a gallon of regular unleaded, according to an oil trader who accurately predicted gas would reach $3 a gallon.

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"Peak Oil" and should gas prices be higher?

As Caltech Vice Provost and Professor of Physics David Goodstein points out in the video interview below, the day is not far off when global oil production will peak, signaling the "end of the age of oil" and intensifying any number of dire consequences, some of which might be made less calamitous depending on how soon mankind realizes what lies ahead and takes prudent steps to mitigate this disaster.

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Saudi Arabia's oil a huge question

From the Saudi Arabian sands pour more than 9 million barrels of crude oil each day, more than 10 percent of the world's production pumped from what is believed to be the largest pool of recoverable crude on Earth.

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Real Oil Highs

Since last week when Israel decided that Hezbollah’s ongoing guerilla war against the Jewish state would no longer be tolerated, oil prices have dominated the financial news. Stories of crude oil making new all-time highs are certainly capturing the attention of investors and speculators around the world today.

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HISTORY - THE GREAT TEACHER!

by Puru Saxena

At present, there is a lot of noise about a "commodities bubble." Themajority of "experts" are convinced that commodity prices have risen toomuch and they'll collapse. On the other hand, stocks and bonds are beingtouted as bargains - or as the foolproof road to riches and financialfreedom! These days, the mainstream media is awash with analysts who areclaiming that commodities will suffer due to rising interest rates.Frankly, I find their argument totally absurd.

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A new kind of money

Today's money is based on the belief that it's worth something. Crazy, no? Why not back your dollar in sustainable energy produced in your hometown?


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Peak Oil Passnotes: Yo! Bombs!

-- The highlight of an otherwise grim week was the debate between two moronic men in Russia. George Bush and Tony Blair. Their concern over world events was obvious to see as Blair simpered, behind a burger-munching buffoon in charge of the largest army in the world. Blair gave him jumpers in a heatwave.

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Mideast violence drives isle gas jitters

Some industry experts fear prices could soar when resources peak

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Where is the washington post ?

If you live around Washington , DC and have much do with the federal government, then you probably read the Post. There are a few exceptions. If you are into finance or securities you reach for the Wall StreetJournal each day. If your politics are more than a few degrees to the right, you are going to be happier with the Washington Times, and if you are a deep thinker, then your day is not complete without the New York Times.

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Iran gas consumption hits highest level ever

Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh said that Iran’s daily consumption of natural gas has reached its highest level ever, MNA reported.

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Lack of news updates

I was on vacation for two weeks. Couldn't update the site.

Is alt-energy a distraction from real solutions?

Wind power is perhaps the most interesting test case of whether America's immediate energy future lies in alternative sources such as wind, conservation and power-down, or some combination of the two.

Today, wind is the clean, renewable energy source with the most promise. The industry says that wind power can be sold as cheaply as electricity from coal, natural gas and nuclear power, but without the pollution and health and safety problems of those traditional sources.

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Thinking The Unthinkable

Oil depletion is just the first of a series of resource crisis humanity is about to face because there are just too many of us! This century we will face peak resources, period.

There are many fascinating and exciting renewable energy developments. Wind turbines, solar energy, geothermal, biomass, wave and tidal power schemes which are all important energy sources for the future - and could at least help keep the electricity grid going to some degree!

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Fog of war obscures way ahead for black gold

The price of oil was all over the place yesterday. First Brent crude touched a fresh peak of $78.18 a barrel, territory last explored on Friday, as the conflict between Israel and Lebanon escalated. Then the Brent barrel price

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Globocops of Energy Security

Some of those oil-related doomsday scenarios will meet at a confluence this week. It includes an armed aggression against a sovereign state, terrorism, missile launches, weapons of massive destruction, and disturbing consumer, financial and trade data worldwide. If that isn't enough, there is even an volcanic eruption somewhere, and hurricanes yet to come.


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"Energy Security Will Be one of the Main Challenges of Foreign Policy"

THIS IS FROM A PEAK OIL NON-BELIEVER.

In a SPIEGEL interview, United States oil expert Daniel Yergin discusses fears of a global energy crisis, the growing confidence of oil-rich nations and changes in world politics caused by rising energy prices.

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Old king coal to reign as fossil fuel continues to fire the future

REPENT, for the end of the world is nigh. This is an element in many religious beliefs.
Thomas Malthus, the early 19th century forefather of environmental doomsayers, brought it into the modern era with his remark that: "The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race."

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Peak Oil and Politics

Among the many shouts of warning from environmentalists about global catastrophes, ‘Peak Oil’ stands out as the newest and most imminent. The issue has gained special acceptance from different sections of the left, who have chosen it as their primary concern – aside from of course, defeating Bush. Peak Oil and other environmental issues, such as global warming, have created important political questions that need to be addressed; the following is an attempt to analyze the different political considerations that arise when one discusses the topic of Peak Oil.

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Is peak oil a myth?

Dear Editor,
You need to do more research. There is no question that peak oil will occur. The only real debate is when. People like yourself that have not done the research, and the politicians that only care about being elected are the cause of what is going to happen.Sincerely,
Tom Coburn

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WARNING: ARE YOU PREPARED FOR FUEL SHORTAGES

THE end is nigh. Yeah right. We've been hearing that forecast since the first caveman saw a shooting star streak across the sky at midnight.

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Biggest trend is the end

Now even the smart people are saying we're toast

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Demand conservation: An essential plank towards energy security

A bystander at a conference of international petroleum experts could be excused for being confused. For he would have heard two well substantiated but conflicting viewpoints on the future role of oil.

One group referred to generally as the “peak oil” theorists would have postulated the “end of oil”.

Their argument would have contained essentially three strands.

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Peak Oil Passnotes: $80 Here We Come

To follow on from what we were talking about last week, it would be a brave man to bet against $80 later this year. In fact $80 will be an easy target if we get anything out of the ordinary happening, and most times ordinary is bad enough.
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