Peak oil: Challenges and opportunities for the GCC countries

At the beginning of January I was invited to give a presentation and participate in a panel discussion on Peak Oil. Maybe this is not such a huge surprise but what was surprising was that the invitation was to a symposium titled “Peak Oil: Challenges and Opportunities for GCC Countries” that is to be held in Doha, Qatar. The lead organiser of the meeting is the “Arabic and International Relations Forum” and “Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute” that is part of the Qatar Foundation.

Price for Denial, Inaction on Climate Is Higher Than Toll of Reducing Consumption

For Tad Patzek, Peak Oil – not climate change – poses the greatest risk to human health and survival on Earth. The chair of the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at the University of Texas and co-author with Joseph Tainter of Drilling Down: The Gulf Oil Debacle and Our Energy Dilemma, Patzek does not deny climate change or the notion that the human use of CO2 has helped caused it. It’s just that climate change has already been set in motion, and it will take 80,000 to 100,000 years to reverse it. This is, the Polish-born Patzek says, "for us, an infinite time."

Peak oil – Mar 6

•Total production by the five "major" oil producers has fallen by a quarter since 2004 •Ten Reasons to Take Peak Oil Seriously •’Peak oil’ doomsayers proved wrong •Is shale oil losing its lustre? •Doomsday warning on fuel stock •A hard tap to turn

Time for some optimism about the climate crisis

The world has warmed by approximately 0.7 degrees Celsius in the 200 years since fossil fuels began to be used on any significant scale[1]. The rate at which the planet is heating up could be accelerating and 2010 was the hottest year since the global record began, 131 years ago[2]. All ten of the warmest years on record have occurred since 1998.

Oil – Feb 21

•Keystone XL pipeline takes centre stage at Washington protest •Some Environmental Issues Surrounding Keystone XL •Ten Reasons to Take Peak Oil Seriously •Arctic needs protection from resource rush as ice melts, says UN •Shale oil fails to dent Middle East shipments