Synergic Earth NewsNews of the Best of Times and the Worst of TimesPenetration- (Found July 15, 2008 ) James Howard Kunstler writes: The telling moment last week was Robert Hirsch's appearance on the CNBC morning "Squawkbox" financial show in which he proposed the probability of $500-a-barrel oil within "a three-to-five-year time-frame." Squawkhead Becky Quick was clearly nonplussed by the stolid Mr. Hirsch, author of a (then)-startling 2005 US Dept of Energy report (since referred to as the Hirsch Report and buried by the Secretary of Energy) that warned of dire effects on the American way...http://solutions.synearth.net/2008/06/23 Rescuing Ourselves with a Green Lifeline- (Found July 15, 2008 ) George Monbiot writes: Almost everyone seems to agree: governments now face a choice between saving the planet and saving the economy. As recession looms, the political pressure to abandon green policies intensifies. A report published yesterday by Ernst and Young suggests that the EUs puny carbon target will raise energy bills by 20% over the next 12 years(1). Last week the prime ministers advisers admitted to the Guardian that his renewable energy plans were on the margins of what people will.http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/07/01/green-lifeline/ Not Your Grandma's Depression- (Found July 15, 2008 ) James Howard Kunstler warns: American society is sliding into a greater depression than the one Grandma lived through. On the technical side, there has been unending controversy as to whether we're gripped by inflation or deflation. It's certainly deceptive. Food and gasoline prices are rising faster than the rivers of Iowa. But the prices of assets, like houses, stocks, jet-skis, GMC Yukons and pre-owned Hummel figurines are cratering as America turns into Yard Sale Nation.We're a very...http://solutions.synearth.net/2008/07/01 Running on Empty- (Found July 15, 2008 ) Financial Times -- The oil market will remain tight during the next five years as production from non-Opec countries stalls and demand growth remains relatively strong, the western countries energy watchdog warned on Tuesday.The International Energy Agencys warning is the starkest sign yet that even record oil prices above $140 a barrel have not yet not done enough to balance demand growth from countries such as China with sluggish supply increases. The IEA said that annual non-Opec growth...http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cd683aa0-4764-11dd-93ca-000077b07658.html Moving beyond Oil- (Found July 15, 2008 ) Lawrence Journal-World -- Imagine the day when your vehicles odometer becomes a tax meter the more you drive, the more you pay in taxes.When you do drive, youll be greeted by more toll stations. And when you stop, youll be greeted by more parking meters. Along the way youll notice roofs with solar panels, yards with vegetable gardens, construction crews building bike paths instead of roads, and perhaps even large warehouses stuffed with massive amounts of food to deal with an energy emergency..http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/jun/30/moving_beyond_oil/?city_local Becoming Responsible- (Found July 15, 2008 ) BBC Environmental Science -- The US state of Georgia has blocked construction of a new coal-fired power station because of concerns over its carbon dioxide emissions. Environmentalists welcomed the news, and predict the decision will lead to reconsideration of many coal power plants under development in the US.The judge cited a decision by the Supreme Court last year which issued a ruling recognising CO2 as a pollutant. This is the first court judgement on an industrial plant based on that...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7485936.stm The End of Air Travel- (Found July 15, 2008 ) Kristen Lagadec writes: There are no serious alternatives to jet fuel for airliners. And even if there were, they could never be cheap in a world of expensive energy. The problem is not that oil is scarce: the productionhas never been this high -- that's why we call it Peak Oil. The problem is that energy supply is not meeting global demand: until demand abates, any type of energy will end up costing the same, be it classical kerosene, gas-to-liquid synthetic jet fuel, or biodiesel. Regardless..http://globalpublicmedia.com/airbus_and_boeing_a_gloomy_market_outlook Bill McKibben: The Making of an Environmentalist- (Found July 15, 2008 ) Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow writes: Starting with The End of Nature, which is considered to be the first book about global warming for a general audience, McKibben, with the obstinacy of an Old Testament prophet, has been urging our society to change its ways and foretelling doom if we do not. But he has also increasingly invoked redemption and moved from Muir's emphasis on wilderness to a Berry-esque embrace of community and small-scale farming, although tensions remain between these two...http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080721/tuhus-dubrow Stealing from the Earth- (Found July 15, 2008 ) BBC Human Behavior -- There is a kind of theft that happens every day in a majority of the world's poor countries - and in many of the richer ones too.It usually happens out of sight, and most perpetrators get away with it.The monetary value of this theft is about $15bn per year; the ecological cost can only be guessed at.Yet many people would turn their noses up if they chanced upon a trove of this treasure.Because these jewels are fish."Those that are fishing illegally, they are paying...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7485839.stm Surviving Peak Oil and Thriving in Community- (Found July 15, 2008 ) Megan Quinn Bachman writes: Five years ago, when I first started giving Peak Oil presentations, my message could more easily be ignored. The disconnect between the picture I presented of dangerous and destructive fossil dependence and people's daily lives could be maintained. Perhaps the crisis seemed too far off in distance and time to matter in the here and now.Today, that illusion has disappeared. The Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times," is an understatement. Oil and food...http://solutions.synearth.net/2008/07/05 |