News update
US Army colonel: world is sleepwalking into a global energy crisis
A conference sponsored by a US military official convened experts in Washington DC and London warning that continued dependence on fossil fuels puts the world at risk of an unprecedented energy crunch that could inflame financial crisis and exacerbate dangerous climate change.
From Guardian Earth Insight blog
Could Arctic summers be sea ice-free in three years’ time?
Climate change is causing a long-term decline in Arctic sea ice, and scientists expect the Arctic Ocean to be largely ice-free in summer at some point this century. But is that broad prediction too complacent? This week, the Guardian claimed scientists working for the US Navy believe summer sea ice could disappear as soon as 2016, based on the results of a sophisticated new computer model.
The Carbon Brief blog
Can cold fusion technology thwart the Peak Oil Crisis?
If BlackLight Power can really develop the technology to produce electric power at a claimed 10th of a cent a kilowatt in the next few years, our planet and our science will never be the same again. Even the peak oil crisis could even come to a rather abrupt end in a way that no one ever envisioned. For now all we can do is keep an open mind remember that every century or so a real scientific revolution comes along.
From fcnp.com
Former BP geologist: peak oil is here and it will ‘break economies’
A former British Petroleum (BP) geologist has warned that the age of cheap oil is long gone, bringing with it the danger of “continuous recession” and increased risk of conflict and hunger.
From Guardian Earth Insight blog
BP declares the death of peak oil
Energy major British Petroleum has claimed the concept of global energy supply peaking amid rapidly rising consumption is no longer valid as new fuels emerge and energy demand growth slows. “The theory of peak oil has peaked,” BP chief executive Bob Dudley said as he unveiled the company’s new energy outlook to 2035.
From www.petroleum-economist.com
Michael T. Klare: Peak Oil Is Dead. Long Live Peak Oil!
Among the big energy stories of 2013, “peak oil” — the once-popular notion that worldwide oil production would soon reach a maximum level and begin an irreversible decline — was thoroughly discredited. The explosive development of shale oil and other unconventional fuels in the United States helped put it in its grave. Not so fast, though. The present round of eulogies brings to mind Mark Twain’s famous line: “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Before obits for peak oil theory pile up too high, let’s take a careful look at these assertions.
From www.tomdispatch.com
Government Scientists Created Crude Oil from Algae in Mere Minutes
Be excited, Earthlings, because science has a surprise for you. Engineers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have devised a way to turn algae into crude oil in less than an hour. That oil can then be refined into gasoline that can run engines.
From Gizmodo.com
Note: The following documents have been added to the Resources page:
The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins, pioneer of the Transition Town movement. We live in an oil-dependent world, and have got to this level of dependency in a very short space of time, using vast reserves of oil in the process – without planning for when the supply is not so plentiful. Most of us avoid thinking about what happens when oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but The Transition Handbook shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive outcome. These changes can lead to the rebirth of local communities, which will grow more of their own food, generate their own power, and build their own houses using local materials.
Essence of Permaculture by permaculture co-originator David Holmgren. It provides a summary of the permaculture concept and principles. Permaculture, which originally referred to “permanent agriculture”, is a branch of ecological design that develops self-maintained agricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems, inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka’s natural farming philosophy.
Also added a Report on the Peak Oil Workshop held in June 2013 at Deccan Trails, Manneguda, near Hyderabad, which led to the formation of the Peak Oil India group. The report includes details of workshop agenda, participants, lectures and practical exercises.