We Speak For Earth

He who owns the oil will own the world, for he will own the sea by means of heavy oils, the air by means of the ultra-refined oils, and the land by means of the petrol and the illuminating oils. And in addition to these he will rule his fellow men in an economic sense, by reason of the fantastic wealth he will derive from oil - the wonderful substance which is more sought after and more precious than gold itself.

Henri Bérenger (quoted in Predicting the Psychological Response of the American People to Oil Depletion and Declining Energy Return on Investment)

…the current consumption of energy contained in [fossil] fuels equates every person on earth having 90 slaves.

Steve Mohr, Projection of world fossil fuel production with supply and demand interactions (via perscientiamlibertas)

In the long run, the eventual use for oil will be for manufacturing useful organic chemicals. I expect our grandchildren to ask, “You burned it? All those lovely organic molecules, you just burned it?” Sorry, we burned it.

Kenneth Deffeyes, Hubbert’s Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage (via perscientiamlibertas)

The First Half of the Oil Age was a remarkable chapter in history lasting about 150 years, when this new, cheap, and abundant source of energy permitted the rapid expansion of industry, trade, transport, and agriculture, allowing the world’s population to grow six-fold in parallel. In addition, it saw the massive growth of financial capital as banks lent more than they had on deposit, confident that tomorrow’s economic expansion was collateral for today’s debt. Seemingly, they did not recognise, or perhaps did not admit that they recognised, that it was the flow of cheap oil-based energy that made the expansion possible. Now, we face the Second Half of the Oil Age, when production, and all that depends on it, declines. Logic suggests that the expansion of the past must be matched by the contraction of the future, at least so far as the traditional economy is concerned.

Colin Campbell, The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Response to Peak Oil (via perscientiamlibertas)

Special Issue "New Studies in EROI (Energy Return on Investment)" →

perscientiamlibertas:

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue presents the results of approximately 20 new studies on energy return on investment, including 10 empirical studies of particular energy resources and a similar number examining methodological issues and the social and economic implications of changing EROIs. The studies cover the most important energy resources currently used by Western society, as well as several possible alternatives. The results, which have great consistency across studies, have enormous implications for our economies and for society more generally. Several papers examine the direct economic and psychological implications of declining EROI, as well as the implications for planning. We believe that taken as a whole these papers have great power in helping to understand our current economic difficulties as well as guiding what we must do to adjust to new energy realities. A failure to understand these issues will severely limit our ability to plan for the future.

Charles A.S. Hall & Doug Hansen, Guest Editors

EROI (or sometimes EROEI) “is the ratio of the amount of usable energy acquired from a particular energy resource to the amount of energy expended to obtain that energy resource.” It has various uses and applications within economics, physics and environmental sciences, and with recent issues regarding the usefulness of biofuels and implications of peak oil, it is increasingly used to measure how effective our future sources of energy will be. The link features papers introducing the concept of EROI, psychological responses to fossil fuel depletion, and case studies of declining EROI.

Happy reading!

Norway to tax big oil to create $1.6 billion adaptation fund for developing countries →

climateadaptation:

Great idea to help pay for adaptation projects in developing countries.

Norway is to double carbon tax on its North Sea oil industry and set up a £1bn fund to help combat the damaging impacts of climate change in the developing world.

In one of the most radical climate programmes yet by an oil-producing nation, the Norwegian government has proposed increasing its carbon tax on offshore oil companies by £21 to £45 (Nkr410) per tonne of CO₂ and a £5.50 (Nkr50) per tonne CO2 tax on its fishing industry.

Norway will also plough an extra £1bn (Nkr10bn) into its funds for climate change mitigation, renewable energy, food security in developing countries and conversion to low-carbon energy sources, Environmental Finance reported.

It will step up spending on new projects to combat deforestation in developing countries to £44m, taking up its spending overall on forestry programmes to £327m. Previous forestry projects have involved Brazil, Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Full story at The Guardian

EPA: Fracking may cause groundwater pollution →

climateadaptation:

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday for the first time that fracking — a controversial method of improving the productivity of oil and gas wells — may be to blame for causing groundwater pollution.

The draft finding could have significant implications while states try to determine how to regulate the process. Environmentalists characterized the report as a significant development though it met immediate criticism from the oil and gas industry and a U.S. senator.

The practice is called hydraulic fracturing and involves pumping pressurized water, sand and chemicals underground to open fissures and improve the flow of oil or gas to the surface.

The EPA’s found that compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals had been detected in the groundwater beneath Pavillion, a small community in central Wyoming where residents say their well water reeks of chemicals. Health officials last year advised them not to drink their water after the EPA found low levels hydrocarbons in their wells.

The EPA announcement could add to the controversy over fracking, which has played a large role in opening up many gas reserves, including the Marcellus Shale in the eastern U.S. in recent years.

The industry has long contended that fracking is safe, but environmentalists and some residents who live near drilling sites say it has poisoned groundwater.

The EPA said its announcement is the first step in a process of opening up its findings for review by the public and other scientists.

“EPA’s highest priority remains ensuring that Pavillion residents have access to safe drinking water,” said Jim Martin, EPA regional administrator in Denver. “We look forward to having these findings in the draft report informed by a transparent and public review process.”

Source: USA TODAY

Note, Senator Inhofe (who gets 80% of his campaign donations from coal, oil, and gas) goes ballistic.

Endgame: More scientists concerned environmental disasters caused by [industrial] humans →

climateadaptation:

There is a growing concern among scientists and policy makers that environmental crises are no longer the sole acts of nature but rather the result of an accelerating human-induced global change.

At the same time, a pattern is starting to unfold: crises such…

(via socialuprooting)

Climate Adaptation: More scientists concerned environmental disasters caused by humans →

climateadaptation:

There is a growing concern among scientists and policy makers that environmental crises are no longer the sole acts of nature but rather the result of an accelerating human-induced global change.

At the same time, a pattern is starting to unfold: crises such as floodings, famine and…

(via theideologicalparadoxofaparadig)