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pickens believes peak oil is upon us: “when the demand is greater than the
supply, the price has to go up until it kills demand”
Boone Pickens is a major mover in the oil industry.
He is already ahead of the curve, and investing in one of the world’s
largest wind farms on his extensive Texas land.
“ "I do believe you have peaked out at 85 million barrels
a day globally," Pickens, who heads BP Capital hedge fund with
more than US$4 billion under management, said during testimony to the
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
“The United States alone has been using "21 million barrels
of the 85 million and producing about 7 of the 21, so if I could take
just a minute on this point, the demand is about 86.4 million barrels
a day, and when the demand is greater than the supply, the price has
to go up until it kills demand," Pickens told lawmakers.”
As will be known, this accords with my own reading
of the oil markets and economics.
As Pickens correctly states, the oil price rise does not
have anything to do with traders or ‘speculators’. This, despite
the foolish or venal claims of politicians and commentators.
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology0805.php#boone_pickens_180608
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corporate food
“The figures are staggering. Wal-Mart currently dominates the
global grocery trade with profits reckoned by the UN at the start of
the century to be 'bigger than the gross domestic product of three quarters
of the world's economies'. Today those profits have doubled. Five companies
control 90 per cent of the global grain supply. The world tea market
is in the hands of three. Eighty-one per cent of American beef belongs
to four giant processing companies. None of these companies is answerable
for what they do to anyone but themselves. They are ruthlessly anti-competitive,
largely above the law, and more than able to impose their own, often
ruinous conditions on the countries that supply them.
“Commerce permits no deviation from corporately determined norms.
Ninety per cent of milk in the US now comes from a single breed of cow,
and the same proportion of commercial eggs from a single breed of hen.
British supermarkets have reduced well over 2,000 varieties of locally
grown apple for all practical purposes to two (Bramley and Cox). This
kind of industrial concentration makes the food chain permanently vulnerable
to contamination, disease or terrorism ('I, for the life of me, cannot
understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply,' said
the former US Health Secretary in 2006, 'because it would be so easy
to do'). It also means that whole species of animals and plants face
imminent extinction.”
related material
land
conservation and food production
comparing fertility rates and populations in europe and beyond
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology0805.php#corporate_food_150608
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plug-in points in london
Recognising the necessary change in vehicle fuel sources,
electric power points for recharging electric vehicles are now being installed
in parts of London.
“The Clear Zones aim is to use partnership working between Central
London Authorities to reduce congestion, air and noise pollution and
improve the urban realm; the partnership uses innovative technologies
and sustainable transport measures to achieve this aim. The newride
website is one of a number of inter-related projects supported by the
Partnership.”
Electric plug-in points for vehicles in London. Image:
newride.org.uk
related material
motoring
economics usa - second-hand hybrids rising in price
transportable
fuels
Fuel cells
and battery-powered vehicles
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology0805.php#plugin_points_london_060608
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measuring temperatures - differences in method led to
differences in temperature
This news item has been incorporated into
gathering data to test global warming briefing document.
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology0805.php#measuring_temperatures_020608
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carbon
cap and trade picks up momentum in the usa
A short article and recommended reading.
“A climate-change bill that has widespread support as it heads
to the Senate floor will create an estimated $150 billion of new assets
in the first year it takes effect. Between now and 2050, regulating
greenhouse gases could easily generate $3 trillion worth in value in
the United States.”
—
“In part, the debate over how to allocate the $150 billion worth
of permits (in year one, remember) depends on whether you think rising
electricity prices are a good or a bad thing.”
—
“Author and activist Peter Barnes has put forward a simple plan
called cap-and-dividend (see www.capanddividend.org.) He would auction
all of the permits and then return all of the proceeds to the American
public, in the form of per capita grants. Among other things, he says,
this would keep the government out of the picture and build broad political
support for a climate-change bill.
“There's no avoiding the energy price rise, unfortunately,"
Barnes says. "That is the medicine we need to swallow. But to quote
Mary Poppins, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down."
”
Several variations of legislative bills are presently under
consideration.
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology0805.php#carbon_cap_230508
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the industrial destruction of fish stocks
“ 'Quite simply,' Roberts says, 'agreements and deals brokered
by politicians will never be satisfactory. They always look for the
short-term fix.' He and his team at York University did a survey of
the last 20 years of EU ministerial decisions on fish catches and found
that, on average, they set quotas for fishing fleets 15 to 30 per cent
higher than those recommended as safe by scientists.
“ 'What that figure doesn't tell you is that often, for less
threatened species like mackerel or whiting, they have set quotas 100
per cent higher than the science recommended. So, in their efforts to
pacify the industry, they are bringing populations that could be sustainably
fished into the risk zone,' he said.”
And more of the dismal catalogue.
related material
tragedy
of the commons
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology0805.php#fish_destruction_200508
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free
designs for building your green house
Artist’s impressions of “Healthy Family”
- a four-bedroom house, and
“Suburban Loft” - a two-bedroom, open-plan home
“Free Green Benefits
“* Explore our free house plans and find the right design for
your lifestyle.
“* Customize your house plan with help from our experts.
“* Share your experience and learn from others on the FreeGreen
Blog.”
“FreeGreen would not exist without paid placement from product
manufacturers. In order to avoid product bias, we present every product
and material in a fair and clear light. Users can see ratings from established
third-party green certification programs such as LEED and NAHB for each
product (good or bad), or research performance through our energy modeling
reports. Our goal is to show you a multitude of material and product
possibilities through various lenses, including quality, health, and
energy performance.” [Quoted from FreeGreen
About page]
Note that you have to register and log in to be able
to download house plans.
Plans for “Simple Value” and “Californian Casual”
houses are being prepared.
related material
eco-building
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology0805.php#free_green_150508
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a
sandals approach to peak oil
An article for the bored or the severely uninformed.
“Thus, when the price of oil rises, Hopkins cheers. "It's
like a racehorse owner cheering his horse. The things I want to see
happen only happen in times of high oil prices. In the 70s, there was
the most incredible flowering of creativity. Solar power, permaculture
- they all started in the 70s. Then cheap oil came back, and everything
went out of the window. High oil prices will stimulate creativity all
over again: the knock-on of rising food prices will make it more cost-effective
to grow food here; the higher cost of petrol in your car will make you
ask if it's worth making the journey." The bonus is that, as we
burn fewer fossil fuels, emissions will be reduced and climate change
might be slowed.”
related material
land conservation
and food production
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology0805.php#peak_oil_090508
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