Heinberg: Big Energy’s Misleading Promise of Plenty

Hi readers, This month has been a rush of deadlines as I work to complete the final chapters of my new book ‘SNAKE OIL! How Big Energy’s Promise of Plenty Imperils Our Future’. This being the case I have no new writing to offer you this month — I did however give an extended interview, which I hope that you will find of interest. Normal Museletter service will commence in June! Interview: Snake Oil: How Big Energy’s Misleading Promise of Plenty Imperils Our Future This interview was recorded May 15th as part of the Spring of Sustainability. Richard discusses the realities of shale gas and tight oil, the work of the Post Carbon Institute, and what gives him hope. Play audio Download link (right click and save to download) Heinberg

People-Powered Politics at the City Level: Searching for True Citizenship

For the first time in human history, over half of the world's population live in urban areas. By 2050, that number is projected to reach 70 percent. And yet, cities face huge problems. They are responsible for almost 80 percent of the world's energy consumption and 67 percent of its greenhouse emissions. In 2005, one in three urban dwellers was living in slum conditions. Precisely because of the magnitude of the problems they face, cities are increasingly emerging as the most fertile grounds for creating change. They are the laboratories in which many of the world's most intractable challenges -- including the challenge of reinventing the very fabric of our political lives -- will be solved. Recognizing the fundamental importance of cities and city governments, organizations such as C40, the Global Cities Forum and the Mayor's Conference, have started to connect governmental ...

Energy bills ‘could overtake mortgages in five years’

Energy bills are rising so steeply that they could overtake mortgage repayments in parts of Britain in just five years’ time, the chief executive of supplier, First Utility, has claimed. Ian McCaig issued the stark warning as he said energy policies must be reviewed to minimise the impact on bills and said consumers should think about turning down their heating to reduce costs. Critics have said that the Government’s environmental policies on windfarms and energy efficiency schemes, for example, are adding unnecessarily to the cost of bills. “If things continue as they are, or even get worse, for some consumers in some parts of the country we will see energy bills overtake many other bills we have traditionally thought were the biggest items of non-discretionary spend,” Mr McCaig said. “In fact, given that interest rates are low and look like staying that way ...

The Rise of the Suburban Poor

In 2004, a documentary called The End of Suburbia predicted that the suburbs were potentially "destined to become the slums of tomorrow" thanks to the impending threat of peak oil. That didn't happen--the threat of peak oil has now been replaced by out-of-control climate change--but suburbs are declining, just for a different reason. According to a new report put out by the Brookings Institute, more poor inhabitants of the U.S. now live in suburbs than in cities and rural areas. Between 2002 and 2011, the population of the suburban poor rose 67%. That's over twice the number seen in urban areas. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched the rapid gentrification of American cities. Affluent residents generally no longer elect to live in the suburbs; they'd rather live near all the amenities of cities, which are ...

Is peak oil never going to happen?

You can make a coherent, logical argument for cars that don't burn gasoline without once mentioning global petroleum supply. You can talk about international relations and the power of gasoline exporters (just read the first three paragraphs of this for a bit of history). You can talk about climate change. You can talk about the health effects of CO2 in the air. But the fact remains that gasoline (or diesel) remains the go-to fuel for almost every passenger vehicle on the planet, so the question of how much black gold is out there is an important one. The answer, though is not so clear. Despite some claims that peak out has already happened, a new study (PDF) by the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that increased energy production in North America means that, between now and 2018, global oil production capacity ...

A Mileage Tax Monitored By GPS For All N.J. Drivers?

It’s a controversial proposal: Paying for every mile you drive to cover road repairs. While ...

The Coming Collapse Of The Petrodollar System

Authored by Andrew McKillop, PETRODOLLAR WAR The theory of Petrodollar Warfare can be attributed to US ...

Nuclear Energy Industry Re-Energizing after Fukushima

The Fukushima incident has contributed to the lay belief that nuclear energy is a ...

Federal mandate boosting biofuels use has unintended consequences

The 2007 energy independence law is proving to be a law of unintended consequences. The ...

“Gary, your website is so dark…do you ...

It came without warning: A flood of ...

A long-running Massachusetts Institute of Technology research ...

Reuters reported on Wednesday that China’s environmental ...

In October 2004, then California Governor Arnold ...

An observation worth noting … and pondering, ...