Australia: Low oil warning: planning starts now
Regardless of when you think global oil production will peak, planning for a low oil future starts now, writes Elliot Fishman.
Buildings
Energy use – May 31
Energy-hungry nations also most wasteful / Forget gas; we meed a plan to keep passenger trains rolling / Railroading Amtrak / Car culture in BC: Our toxic love affair /
High-rise residents big energy guzzlers / Computer server efficiency hot topic
Politics & economics – May 29
Planet Of Slums (links) /
China’s oil supply faces risks, expert says /
Saudi oil output ‘dips to lowest in year’ /
Iran plays China card with Japan on oil deal /
Shi’ite faction menaces Iraq’s Basra oil exports
Planning for the peak oil in the SF North Bay
An Energy Vulnerability Summit in Petaluma, California, was perhaps the first time in history that local government officials have gotten together to learn about and discuss peak oil.
Environment – May 29
Ottawa absent at major climate change conference / Global warming might not be so bad, if we keep our cool /
Sprawl outruns lofty experiment (Biosphere 2)
Solutions & sustainability – May 29
“Freegans” forage for food in bins / Sustainability conference June 10-11 in Seattle / Richard Register’s proposal for a global rebuilding program / Micropatronage – a new way to finance innovation /
UK: Eco villages springing up all over / Evangelical Virginia farmer sees a revolution against industrial agriculture / Growing hope (gardening in Guantanamo) /
An evening in Peter Harper’s garden / Building with hemp
Peak oil – May 27
Kunstler: the suburban fantasy / Retired nuclear physicist traces his personal peak oil discovery process / Organizing to energize the community near Harvard / Report on the Energy Vulnerability Summit in N. California
A new protest song: Joan Baez – she shall overcome
A veteran of 40 years of demonstrations, the American folk singer’s latest campaign involves camping in a tree to save a 14-acre farm from the developers (South Central Farm in Los Angeles)
A post-peak vision for local planning
Planner Richard Gilbert’s vision for Hamilton, Ontario. Part one looks at the implications of peak oil and peak natural gas for Hamilton’s growth strategy. Part two discusses transportation, goods movement, and building energy use in more detail, focusing on Hamilton’s opportunities in energy production and conservation.
Peak oil – May 22
Hamilton, Ontario: the electric city (local planning for peak oil) / Colin Campbell’s latest /
King Coal again raises his sooty scepter /
Peak oil taxonomy: the doombat
Solutions & sustainability – May 17
Ecology for transformation / The greening of Chicago / A science of securing basic needs through sustainable, ecological methods / What are you buying when you buy organic? / Have you reduced your dependence on cars? / Connecting the dots on high gas prices (urban redesign)
Triage for the post-peak oil age
When casualties overwhelm battlefield doctors, they are often forced to sort the wounded into three groups: those who will survive without treatment, those who will likely die even with treatment, and those who will probably live but only with treatment. In the post-peak oil age we will likely be faced with a similar situation in deciding which activities a lower-energy society can support.