Energy transition: We need to do it fast and we’re way behind | Peak Oil News and Message Boards

Energy transition: We need to do it fast and we’re way behind  |  Peak Oil News and Message Boards: "Perhaps the most important thing that people don’t realize about building a renewable energy infrastructure is that most of the energy for building it will have to come from fossil fuels. "

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NRDC Poll: Americans Support New Transit Twice as Much as New Roads | Streetsblog Capitol Hill

NRDC Poll: Americans Support New Transit Twice as Much as New Roads | Streetsblog Capitol Hill: "When asked what would solve traffic problems in their community, 42 percent of Americans say more transit. Only 20 percent say more roads. And 21 percent would like to see communities developed that don’t require so much driving. Two-thirds support local planning that guides new development into existing cities and near public transportation."

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We are accelerating toward a cliff that we know is there

Global Warming's Terrifying New Math | Politics News | Rolling Stone

Global Warming's Terrifying New Math | Politics News | Rolling Stone: " So far, we've raised the average temperature of the planet just under 0.8 degrees Celsius, and that has caused far more damage than most scientists expected. (A third of summer sea ice in the Arctic is gone, the oceans are 30 percent more acidic, and since warm air holds more water vapor than cold, the atmosphere over the oceans is a shocking five percent wetter, loading the dice for devastating floods.) "

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Dollar no longer primary oil currency as China begins to sell oil using Yuan | Peak Oil News and Message Boards

Dollar no longer primary oil currency as China begins to sell oil using Yuan  |  Peak Oil News and Message Boards: "“On Friday, Sept. 7, Russia announced, that as of today, we will supply China with all of the crude oil that they need, no matter how much they want… there is no limit. And Russia will not sell or trade this crude oil to China using the American dollar.”"

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Humans have squandered oil, now what?

Do-the-Math blog suggests we migrate away from personal cars

Fossil Fuels: I’m Not Dead Yet | Do the Math: "Accepting behavioral changes could bring a fresh lemon to the scene. Another way to say this is that we will only see substantial improvements in vehicle efficiency if we change our expectations about what a car is supposed to do (or migrate away from personal cars as a primary means of transportation)."

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U.S. gives Israel USD 15M per day, and pretends it is an independent actor

Armada of British naval power massing in the Gulf as Israel prepares an Iran strike - Telegraph: "Battleships, aircraft carriers, minesweepers and submarines from 25 nations are converging on the strategically important Strait of Hormuz in an unprecedented show of force as Israel and Iran move towards the brink of war."

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Cars kill people much more efficiently than do terrorists

  Automotive Deaths Since 9/11/2001 - Death by Car: "From 1/1/2002 through 12/31/2011, National Highway Traffic Safety [sic] Administration statistics show that 392,621 people were killed by motor vehicle collisions in the United States. So, that’s about 100 9/11s. (And it does not count those who died from automotive air pollution and physical deconditioning.)"

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If you are going to borrow money to get out of a hole, then don't use it to buy a bigger shovel

The way capitalism is supposed to work, if you buy unsecured financial instruments, and they cannot be paid back, you lose your money. If these instruments are "insured" by swaps that are not backed-up, then the insurance is due and the insurer must pay or be liquidated.

It is not just the banks that are violating capitalism, the fossil-fuel industry is violating the principal of paying the costs that lead to profit. For many years profits have been made from the autosprawl system, but most of the costs have been deferred to the future or passed to the taxpayer.

Make public transit fare-free and stop subsidizing the private auto.

There is still time.

The price of oil should include the costs of climate disruption

The GREEN MARKET ORACLE: Mitt Romney’s Love Affair with the Fossil Fuel Industry: "The Republican presidential hopeful’s support for fossil fuels ignores the overwhelming price of extreme weather. With a cost of $81 billion and 1,836 dead, Katrina was the most expensive natural disaster in American history. About 20 years ago this week, Hurricane Andrew hit Florida; it cost $25 billion and killed 15 people. Hurricane Irene struck one year ago and caused an estimated $15 billion in damage while killing at least 67 people."

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Saudi oil well dries up – Telegraph Blogs

Saudi oil well dries up – Telegraph Blogs:
If Citigroup is right, Saudi Arabia will cease to be an oil exporter by 2030, far sooner than previously thought.
...The basic point – common to other Gulf oil producers – is that Saudi local consumption is rocketing. Residential use makes up 50pc of demand, and over two thirds of that is air-conditioning.

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Paul Ryan claims that scientists lied on climate change - can you believe it? #lyinryan #agw

Romney’s VP Choice Paul Ryan: No Friend of the Environment | Comprehending the Climate Crisis: Everything You Need to Know about Global Warming and How to Stop It: " Ryan is also a vehement denier of global warming. He has accused climate scientists of a “perversion of the scientific method, where data were manipulated to support a predetermined conclusion,” in order to “intentionally mislead the public on the issue of climate change.” All of these accusations were proven false. I’ve never been able to find a good answer as to how 98 percent of all climate scientists around the world could ever coordinate such a conspiracy, or even what they might have to gain by doing so. In contrast, big oil companies which spread much of the misinformation have billions of dollars to gain by doing so."

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Democracy is over, but voting still matters

The corporate take-over of the U.S. is complete, and power, once gained, is never freely given back. Both parties are corporate-controlled parties. #Occupy is correct not to get involved. Even so, as individuals, continued participation by the 99% in elections is important.

First, many people still believe that elections can bring change. These people are our people, part of the 99%. We should treat them with respect and patience.

Second, there are splits in the 1%. Many corporations see that uniting with oil is no longer in their interest. Our push-back can exacerbate this split.

Our species is facing increased pain as oil ends and climate disruption increases. We must stay in the national conversation, no matter how unpleasant. If we withdraw from this front, and allow victory for those who openly advocate for more drilling and sprawl, what message does that send to the world?

Oil drilling in the arctic is "flirting with disaster." Oil could gush under the ice for six months.

Obama Administration Considering Extending Shell's Season, Mother Nature Not So Lenient | Chuck Clusen's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC: "The timeframe outlined in the current conditional approval is too tight to allow for error, everything would need to go exactly right to stop uncontrolled flow before Shell’s fleet must evacuate the site for the winter. The company could be forced to abandon an uncontrolled well, leaving oil gushing under the ice for half a year or more. The devastation of a spill of this type could be unprecedented.

Extending the drilling season by over two weeks—Shell has asked for an 18 day extension—is flirting with disaster. Winter comes quickly in the Arctic. On November 1st, the sun will shine on Shell’s lease site for less than 6 hours. If the deadline is extended by 18 days, the fleet could be attempting to drill a relief well as late as November 18th, coincidentally the last day the sun will rise at Shell’s Chukchi lease area until January 23rd. "

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