Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Why is science seemingly at war with President Bush? For nearly four years, and with rising intensity, scientists in and out of government have criticized the Bush administration, saying it has selected or suppressed research findings to suit policies, skewed advisory panels or ignored unwelcome advice, and quashed discussion within federal research agencies.
The presidential candidates are touting their plans to reduce the USA’s reliance on foreign energy sources. Are the campaign promises simply running on empty?
While politicians in Washington appear to be making little headway in breaking the nation’s addiction to imported oil, California has made some real progress with innovative policies.
….If not already aware of all this, readers of The Nation should be on notice that both the imminence and the timing of peak oil matters–big time….
If this scenario [of an early peak] is even somewhat credible, American and international leaders should drop whatever else they are doing and devote their full attention to preparing the world for post-peak petroleum.
The Green Party’s two co-leaders grilled [New Zealand] Government officials yesterday about grossly inaccurate forecasts made last October about future oil prices.
Short of radically altering America’s driving habits, the United States cannot achieve energy independence without spending billions of dollars on new initiatives. And no political consensus exists to spend those sums despite decades of promises to cut oil imports. But new plans are emerging that might sway lawmakers.
The government is warned today that Britain’s manufacturing recovery could be derailed by rising energy prices and consumers could face winter blackouts because of a short-fall in generating capacity.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday his government will look into ways to lessen the country’s dependence on crude oil.
Someone asked Bush what he’s going to do about energy policy with worldwide oil reserves predicted to peak. Bush said: “I’m going to push nuclear energy, drilling in Alaska and clean coal. Some nuclear-fusion technologies are interesting.” He mentions energy from “processing corn.”
Elevated long-term oil futures prices, if sustained at current levels or higher, would no doubt alter the extent of, and manner in which, the world consumes oil. Much of the capital infrastructure of the United States and elsewhere was built in anticipation of lower real oil prices than currently prevail or are anticipated for the future. Unless oil prices fall back, some of the more oil-intensive parts of our capital stock would lose part of their competitive edge and presumably be displaced…
While peak oil enjoyed a break out in 04, and even though most Americans know in their heart of hearts that Iraq was about oil, Americans, this election, have yet to really make the connection.
As oil settles at over $50 a barrel for the second day in a row (four if you include the weekend) I am visiting one of the only places on Earth which really does have an expanding hydrocarbon supply.
