Oil

November 16, 2009

How things work: Canada’s oil sands

With the topic of peak global oil production moving more into the mainstream, you have perhaps heard of the Canadian oil sands. There, huge tracts of remote forested land are strip-mined to obtain a type of thick crude oil called bitumen. more…

November 13, 2009

Energy descent from peak oil: Not a collapse, more like evolution

There is an unhealthy tendency to categorise environmentalists and members of the peak oil community as ‘doom and gloomers’ predicting the end of the world. more…

November 11, 2009

Oil reserve estimates inflated?

The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying. more…

November 5, 2009

Fashion from trash

It may not be obvious, but the 3Rs of the ‘Waste Hierarchy‘ are in a particular order for a reason. ‘Reduce’ comes first, since it has zero impact. Following closely, ‘Re-use’ cuts waste and engenders no or little energy use. ‘Recycle’ comes next because it requires more energy (yet still less than to manufacture using new resources). more…

October 21, 2009

The future is electric

The future has arrived and it is electric. more…

July 14, 2009

New operating system for post-peak oil age

Imagine that it is day one in a post-peak oil world. We have neglected the oil scarcity issue and failed to make all necessary preparations, especially at the international level. more…

May 12, 2009

The world’s next breath

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day I can hear her breathing.” more…

May 5, 2009

Japan, waking up to peak oil?

Isn’t it time for Japan to wake up to the reality of peak oil? more…

April 28, 2009

Blind Spot

While climate change may have been catapulted from a fringe issue to a mainstream one, the same is not yet true for peak oil. What does it take to drag these tough topics into full public view? The glaring light of a movie camera seems quite effective. more…

April 14, 2009

Plastic to oil fantastic

We are all well aware of plastic’s “rap-sheet.” It has been found guilty on many counts, including the way its production and disposal raises resource issues and lets loose extremely negative environmental impacts.
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