Transportation

The peak oil crisis: peak oil elasticity

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Most of us can recall from Economics 101 the concept of elasticity of price demand which says that in most cases as the price of something goes up, the demand for the product or service goes down. Studying the elasticity of gasoline prices has been very popular recently and that in the last 20 years there have been well over 100 papers written on the elasticity of gasoline prices.

The general conclusion of these efforts is that gasoline demand in motorized societies such as the U.S. falls slowly. In the very short run, motorists have no choice but to spend whatever it costs to keep their automobiles and trucks running for their livelihoods depend on it.

Assessing the energy implications of political intervention

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People in power seem to be waking up to the importance of oil and talking about it in public in ways that they never have before. But this raises some questions: Do they (or we) have any idea about the likely impacts of different interventions proposed to deal with energy problems? and how can the energy implications of different interventions be assessed?

In this essay I aim to answer these questions with reference to a paper published in Energy Policy titled “The energy implications of replacing car trips with bicycle trips in Sheffield, UK”.

Energy dysfunction – April 21

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– Oil sands investments by state-owned bank ‘not sound’, say UK greens
– Multinational fossil fuel firms use ‘biased’ study in massive lobbying push for gas
– Really Unpopular Complicated Expensive Technological Solutions For A Nonexistent Problem
– The Big Grab: 9-part series on the economic threats to Canadians posed by the Alberta oil sands

Your bike – the coolest part of your disaster kit

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When hell breaks loose, a car is a very limited beast. It can carry a lot of stuff or multiple people, but your car is easy to put out of commission. Cars run out of gas; they break down. And cars can be blocked by debris, leaving you a long way to go on foot.

But what about bikes? You can get just about anywhere on a bike if you don’t mind lifting it over obstacles and weaving your way around the stalled traffic. Fast as a car on anything other than a clear highway, nimble as a pedestrian, a bicycle also gives you a long range.

Commentary: Will we be able to maintain & replace our energy & transportation infrastructure in a post-peak oil world?

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However, when we look at the global economy from the point of view of a long-term decline in global net oil exports, it seems very likely that, to paraphrase a famous quote, what can’t be funded and maintained won’t be funded and maintained; and that the funding and maintenance problem will probably continue to become most apparent in the short term in American suburbia and exurbia.

Too much energy?

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Most discussions of energy and society assume without question that energy is subject to the “lottle” principle — if a little is good, a lot’ll be better, and there is no upper limit to the beneficial effect of increasing energy per capita. Maybe it’s time to take a second look at that widespread belief. Climbing aboard a train, the Archdruid gives it a shot.

George Will: Driving a wedge

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The facts are these, in case Mr. Will is interested: we have a serious energy crisis and an even graver potential crisis. Petroleum resources are depleting worldwide, and new reserves aren’t coming into production fast enough to offset the rate of depletion. Fuel prices are once again on the rise. Many people can’t afford to operate their automobiles now, and it’s likely to get worse. The civil unrest in the Middle East threatens to disrupt the flow of petroleum and, thus, torpedo our global economy…In this age of energy instability, do we really want to say no to rebuilding our passenger rail capabilities?

Public transportation: Not a high priority in Ohio

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Just look around: the cities that are vibrant and alive all have excellent and convenient transportation services that the residents use frequently; they are cities that are designed for people and not automobiles. Then take a look at many of Ohio’s cities: the central cores are deserted after business hours. Walk around the downtown areas and notice the wide streets cluttered with fast-moving traffic; then look at the relative lack of safe places for people to walk. Notice the parking lot deserts where shopping and other services, as well as residences, could be built instead. If we want to rebuild our great cities, we need a real commitment to invest in public transportation.