Archive for the 'Peak oil' Category

The Triple-Witching Hour
July 1, 2008

This just in from Rick Cole, the City Manager of Ventura, California - and one of the most articulate voices for Smart Growth in America.  (He was also a councillor in Pasadena.  A great speaker, too)
Take a read of this interview in which he discusses “the triple-witching hour - heating up the planet, running up [...]

“Just one of his biggest mistakes”
June 6, 2008

On the day that oil almost hit $140 per barrel:
Ironically, GM once enjoyed a significant lead in the electric car business. In the late 1990s, it produced more than 1,000 experimental EV1 electric cars – one of the greenest vehicles ever made. GM leased the cars to hundreds of enthusiasts, who fell in love with [...]

Stranded in Suburbua
May 19, 2008

Paul Krugman, in his New York Times column, comes to the conclusion that …
… if we’re heading for a prolonged era of scarce, expensive oil, Americans will face increasingly strong incentives to start living like Europeans, maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of our lives.
Gasp, you mean like [...]

Think Piece
January 7, 2008

Occasionally I come across a piece of writing that’s really memorable.  (At least it sticks in my mind until the next day.)  Perhaps because of all the news about avalanches in our surrounding mountains, this essay - The Failure of Networked Systems  - really resonates.
There is a critical angle for piles of sand - a level [...]

True Cost
December 9, 2007

From the Oil Drum:
Somewhere along the way, we-the-people seem to have reached a consensus that when it comes to allocating natural resources, money should do the talking. In fact many true believers contend money is the only legitimate communicator.
“How much oil should I be able to burn? Every barrel I can afford.”
“How big a house [...]

Sites You Should See
November 10, 2007

A couple of great sites to check out.
First up, Stu Ramsey’s PowerPoint and commentary has been posted.  Stu is funny, insightful and relevant: a worthwhile way to spend half an hour and get informed on peak oil and transportation.
Oil, that is
37 min 21 sec - Nov 9, 2007
Description: A fabulous presentation by Stu Ramsey connecting the [...]

Down the Slope
October 17, 2007

The bell curve that marks a change in history:

This is the original sketch of M. King Hubbert - a petroleum geologist based in Houston, working for Shell Oil - who in 1956 predicted that U.S. domestic production would peak sometime in the early 1970s.  Not a message Shell (or anyone else in Houston) wanted to [...]

Peak Oil in Queensland; Carbon-taxing in America
September 16, 2007

Maybe because they have already gone through the trauma of serious water constraints, Queenslanders seem to be more serious about the consequences of peak oil.  Or at least some in their government are.
Peter Berkeley, the bike guy from Brisbane who was in Vancouver a few weeks ago, reports in on news at the state level:
Our [...]